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THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 



BY THE 

Key. JACOB HELFFENSTEIN. D.D. 


WITH AN INTRODUCTION, 

BY THE 

Rev. HARVEY D. GANSE. 



V 


PHILADELPHIA: 

PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 
1334 CHESTNUT STREET. 

NEW YORK: A. D. Y. RANDOLPH A CO., 7T0 BROADWAY. 

i%4°i 



>\V 


Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by 


WM. L. HILDEBURN, Treasurer, 
in trust for the 

PRESBYTERIAN PUBLICATION COMMITTEE, 

In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Eastern District 


of Pennsylvania. 






PREFACE. 


The design of this volume will be apparent from 
its title. It is to exhibit Christ as the only and all- 
sufficient Saviour of this lost world. No subject, 
surely, can have a higher claim upon man’s atten¬ 
tion ; and the only regret of the author is that he 
cannot do justice to the stupendous theme. It has 
been his endeavor to present Christian doctrine in its 
experimental and devotional aspects; so that while 
the understanding may be enlightened the affections 
may be moved. The precious truths herein con¬ 
tained, it has been the writer’s delightful privilege 
to proclaim during a long ministry—not, it is hoped, 
without seals of the Master’s blessing; and now, as 
increasing infirmities remind him that his earthly 

mission is drawing to a close, it is his sincere desire 

3 



4 


PBEFACE. 


and prayer that by this effort of his pen he may 
continue to speak to the living after his voice is 
hushed in the silence of the tomb. 

“ Happy, if with my latest breath 
I cdn but lisp his name— 

Preach him in life, and cry in death, 

Behold, behold the Lambl” 

Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa., 

December 5, 1868. 


INTKODUCTIOJV. 


If the blessing of God shall give to the truths in 
this book the same effect that has attended their 
utterance during the long and earnest ministry of 
the beloved author, his fondest hopes in preparing 
this volume will surely be gratified. A multitude 
of souls have reason to thank God for those pastoral 
and evangelistic labors which for nearly half of a 
century have secured such wide and affectionate 
regard to the name of the Rev. Jacob Helffenstein. 

As many of these as shall know of this volume 
will be glad to find in its well-considered statements 
and discussions the same doctrines of grace to which 
the characteristic seriousness and fervor of the 
preacher was suffered to add such effectual em¬ 
phasis. And it will be well for those reading it, 
who have no such grateful recollections of the au¬ 
thor, to consider that the whole system of Christian 
truth which he here commends has passed under 
this test of his own lifelong experience and obser- 
1* 5 



6 


INTRODUCTION. 


vation, and that in thousands of instances he has 
seen the proof of its power to bring distressed and 
burdened men to abiding holiness and peace. 

In every matter except religion this test of expe¬ 
rience, when fully applied, is admitted to be final. 
Why shall it not be final here? If all Christians 
were enthusiasts, marked by such extravagances as 
should discredit their judgment, their testimony in 
regard to their religious experiences might very 
safely be disregarded. But the great majority of 
Christian men are in no way extravagant. The 
most thorough Christians that the world contains 
are practical, humble men, whose faith in Christ 
only makes them kinder, happier and wiser—more 
diligent in business, more serviceable in their friend¬ 
ships, more necessary to their homes, and more use¬ 
ful to the State. What experience such Christians 
claim to have had in the closet or the church, in no 
degree lowers the respect in which they are held as 
shrewd merchants or lawyers or statesmen. And 
yet the same man who will guide himself exactly by 
a wise Christian’s predictions concerning the market, 
will take credit to himself for despising any repre¬ 
sentations which the same wise Christian may make 
of the daily peace and strength which he derives 
from trusting in his Saviour. Now, if there can be 
a Saviour at all, is it not natural that those who 
embrace him should know more about him than 


INTKODTJCTION. 


7 


those who do not? And when those who have no 
personal knowledge of the excellence and power of a 
Christian’s faith disregard the testimony of credible 
and sagacious men who claim to have that know¬ 
ledge, what have they done but to decide before¬ 
hand that there can be no Saviour to be known? 
And that decision is in itself the extreme of unrea¬ 
sonable arrogance. To say that they themselves 
have no personal knowledge of a Saviour might be 
true ; but to say that a multitude of prudent, prac¬ 
tical people about them have no such knowledge, 
when they say they have, is an assumption of supe¬ 
rior sagacity which, if it appeared in any other rela¬ 
tion, would be offensive, and even insolent. The 
unbelieving rejecter of his neighbor’s testimony con¬ 
fesses that he has never put himself in a position to 
have personal experience upon the subject in ques¬ 
tion ; 3 7 et he assumes in advance that there cannot 
be any room in a reasonable mind for any experience 
of that sort: that is, he charges every Christian 
with the double folly of thinking he has experiences 
which he has not, and of proving from those imag¬ 
inary experiences what no truly wise man would 
think of proving at all. This self-confident skepti¬ 
cism thus claims the right to put the whole multi¬ 
tude of believing men on a footing with frightened 
children who believe that they have seen ghosts. 
The cooler judgment of men decides—first, that 


8 


INTRODUCTION. 


there are no ghosts to be seen; and, second, that 
what the children have taken for ghosts has been 
some natural thing exaggerated by their frightened 
fancy. So this cool contempt of Christian testimony 
decides—first, that there can be no Saviour; and, 
second, that such emotions as the pious trace to him 
are only common human feelings mischievously dis¬ 
torted by the attention that is paid to them. But 
the men who make up the Christian Church are not 
frightened children; and their religious life is not 
distorted, but, so far as it is Christian, is wholesome 
and beautiful. By what warrant, then, may any 
man who is not religious set aside the special effects 
of the Christian religion in the hearts of those who 
live by it, any more than men who are not scientific 
may set aside the disclosures of the telescope or of 
the laboratory ? 

We shall be told that all men have a certain 
knowledge of natural objects and of their relations, 
and that therefore they are prepared to receive from 
mere testimony farther knowledge concerning the 
same or similar objects. But there are also spiritual 
objects of which all men have some knowledge, and 
of which some men may have some further know¬ 
ledge which other men do not have at all. There is 
surely such a thing as a sense of right and wrong; 
there is such a thing as sin; there is personal iden¬ 
tity, which perpetuates the consciousness of sin and 


INTRODUCTION. 


9 


the sense of responsibility; there is at least appre¬ 
hension of future retribution; there is power and 
justice, and thus great terribleness, even in the com¬ 
mon course of human things; and these fearful 
qualities seem at least to belong to a moral Governor 
whom we call God. A man of ordinary intelligence, 
who grows to the age of thirty with just that unso¬ 
phisticated knowledge, whether of natural things or 
of spiritual, which is forced upon him by his senses 
and by inevitable thoughts, is a hundredfold better 
prepared to understand what a Christian tells him 
about his experience of pardon and grace, than what 
a chemist tells him about the spectrum. Such a 
man, indeed, if reared in the tropics, would have a 
far better excuse for refusing to believe that water 
can ever be so hard that men can walk on it, than 
he could have for doubting that God can have mo¬ 
tive and power to provide a Saviour who shall quiet 
troubled consciences and renew wicked hearts. 

Human nature, as it is, needs a Saviour. To 
deny that is to fly in face of all men’s experience, 
whether they be Christians or not Christians. The 
gospel of Jesus Christ introduces men to that Sa¬ 
viour, and that is the secret of the gospel’s perma¬ 
nence and power. Such writers as Renan and Miss 
Cobbe are puzzling themselves to explain the sin¬ 
gular hold which the story of Jesus of Nazareth has 
on human intellect and feeling. As well may they 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


affect to wonder at the interest which our race has 
felt in digging wells and in reaping harvests! Men 
have thirst, and they must drink. They have hun¬ 
ger, and they must be fed. Men are sinners, with 
death before them and guilt upon them; they are 
oppressed with temptations and afflictions, and are 
easily discouraged. Only youth and health supply 
a temporary and fitful sense of self-sufficiency; for 
human life, in its prevailing conditions, is needy and 
eager, and looks about for help, and as it draws near 
its close the solicitude becomes fearful. This sense 
of guilt and need and fear, then, the gospel meets 
with the touching and intelligible history and prom¬ 
ises of a divine Saviour. And those who have ac¬ 
cepted that Saviour, and who have experienced the 
pardon and renewal and gracious help which he 
affords, will no more think of letting him go than 
they will think of dispensing with water and food. 
And since this is so, those who have not embraced 
him have no more excuse for rejecting the testimony 
of their friends concerning him, than a thirsty man 
has for refusing to follow the path where he meets 
one after another bringing up his brimming pitcher 
from the spring. 

There will probably be no reader of the following 
pages who has not seen in father, mother or wife, or 
in some other relative or friend, the clear signs of 
the reality and value of Christian piety. If all the 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


testimony of that sort which has come to you , dear 
reader, could be united in one utterance, it would 
make a chorus of a thousand voices, and would en¬ 
list every tender and urgent tone of human persua¬ 
sion in entreating you to accept this Saviour for 
yourself, and so “to comprehend with all saints 
what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and 
height, and to know the love of Christ which 
passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with 
all the fullness of God.” 

Let me entreat you, then, to remember this con¬ 
current testimony of all Christians while you pass to 
the perusal of the following pages. Read them as 
though you heard the earnest prayers of the author 
and of your best friends for your conversion; and, 
above all things, remember that the Saviour of 
whom they speak is waiting to make himself known 
to you even while you read. 

H. D. G. 


New York, April 27, 1869. 




■ 













CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Man Needs a Saviour. 15 

II. A Saviour Promised and Revealed. 28 

III. Jesus a Divine Saviour. 41 

IV. Jesus Human as well as Divine. 52 

V. Jesus an Atoning Saviour. 66 

VI. Jesus an Interceding Saviour. 85 

VII. The Salvation of Jesus a Free Gift. 101 

VIII. Welcome to Jesus. 113 

IX. Jesus a Present Saviour. 126 

X. Jesus a Complete Saviour. 139 

XI. Jesus a Common Saviour — Salvation 

Free to All . 150 

XII. Salvation Alone in Jesus. 166 

XIII. Closing Thoughts. 181 

2 


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THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


CHAPTER I. 

MAN NEEDS A SAVIOTJll. 

“ Plunged in a gulf of dark despair, 

We wretched sinners lay, 

Without one cheerful beam of hope 
Or spark of glimmering day.” 

f HE saying “Know thyself ’ was thought 
by the ancients to have been of divine 
origin, and was held by them in the highest 
regard. No knowledge, certainly, can be 
more important than the knowledge of our¬ 
selves. Of what benefit will it be to us a 
few years hence, to have measured the dis¬ 
tance and dimensions of the planets, to have 
pried into the mysteries of creation, to have 
solved the most difficult problems in science, 

15 



16 


THE SAVIOUR WE HEED. 


while we remain ignorant of our own nature, 
relations and destiny ? “ The proper study 

of mankind is man.” 

What, then, is man—not in his physical 
organization, but in his moral character and 
relations ? Man, not what he was at his cre¬ 
ation, but what he is in his apostasy ? The 
question need only be asked, and it will find 
an answer in every human breast. There is 
a voice within us that speaks of departed 
innocence, of aggravated guilt and of merited 
condemnation. Reason on this subject as he 
may, man feels that he is not what he ought 
to be, not what he must be in order to be 
restored to the divine favor and friendship. 
The least attention to the exercises of his 
own mind must convince him that he in¬ 
herits a nature disinclined to all good and 
prone to all evil—a nature that needs to be 
kept under continual restraint, and that bears 
on every feature the sad evidence of a glory 
departed. 

If any fact is clearly established in human 


k 

MAN NEEDS A SAVIOUR. 17 

experience, it is that of the universal apostasy 
of our race. Philosophers, poets, historians, 
statesmen, have all admitted and deplored 
our common sinfulness, while human reason 
has utterly failed to furnish an adequate rem¬ 
edy. Wise men of old dreamed of a golden 
age when the earth was the scene of perfect 
innocence and unalloyed happiness; but how 
man degenerated, and how he can be restored, 
were questions which, with all their investi¬ 
gations, they were unable to solve. 

Aside from the teachings of the Bible, the 
evidence meets us at every turn that the 
world which we inhabit is a fallen world—a 
world in rebellion against the government of 
heaven. The history of our race is a history 
of crime, of deceit, of oppression, of violence 
and selfishness. The needfulness of laws to 
restrain human corruption is proof both of 
its existence and power. Who would be safe 
either in his property or his life, for a single 
day, were men permitted to act out with im¬ 
punity their propensities to evil ? 

2 * 


18 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


And what mean the calamities to which 
flesh is heir ? Why is man doomed to suffer 
and to die? We are assured “the curse 
causeless shall not come.” Natural evil is 
the fruit of moral evil. Where there is suf¬ 
fering, there, we infer, there must be sin. But 
for sin, our world would have remained a 
paradise. Not a tear would have fallen from 
the eye, not a pang would have rent the 
bosom. All would have been peace within 
and beauty without. The sad apostasy of 
man may be read in every disappointment, in 
every grief, in every disease, in every grave. 
Mutability and vanity may be seen written 
on all we possess and on all we enjoy. Mrs. 
Browning, the poetess, represents Eve, when 
she ran a fugitive from Paradise, as carrying 
one of Eden’s fairest roses in her hand, fresh, 
fragrant and beautiful; but just as she passed 
the gate of Paradise she found its petals begin 
to fade and its leaves to wither, and yet un¬ 
used to sin and its effects, she wondered what 
had so changed that flower of Eden. It is 


MAN NEEDS A SAVIOUR. 


19 


a touching image of that blight which sin 
has put upon all earthly things. “We all 
do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the 
wind, have taken us away.” 

If we now turn to the inspired record, 
what a sad testimony have we there to man’s 
moral ruin !—“ By one man sin entered into 
the world, and death by sin; and so death 
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” 
It is needless to speculate about the precise 
relation which Adam sustained to liis pos¬ 
terity. It is enough for us to know that his 
fall involved the fall of the race; and instead 
of perplexing ourselves as to the way in 
which we became sinners, let us rather be 
solicitous to ascertain how, being sinners, we 
may be redeemed. To reject the scriptural 
account of man’s apostasy and sinfulness will 
in no way better our condition. The fact 
still meets us that we have “ all sinned, and 
come short of the glory of God.” When 
“the Scriptures conclude all under sin,” they 
only assert a truth already established in our 


20 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


own consciousness, and by the history of man 
in all ages and countries. 

Yet, if we examine the nature of man, 
even in its lapsed state, we may still find 
evident marks of its original dignity. He 
still possesses a body “ fearfully and won- 
durfully made”—its erect form, its compli¬ 
cated mechanism, and especially “ the human 
face divine,” rendering him wholly unlike 
all other animals, and plainly indicating his 
superiority as lord of this lower creation. 

And then as to the constitution of his 
mind, u there is a spirit in man, and the in¬ 
spiration of the Almighty giveth him under¬ 
standing.” God has set him far above the 
beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. 
To them he has given instinct—to man he 
has given reason. 

But, exalted as man’s nature still is, it is a 
nature in ruins. The parts of the noble 
machine are here, but they are all disar¬ 
ranged, and they no longer serve the ends 
of their great Contriver. Man has under- 


MAN NEEDS A SAVIOUR. 


21 


standing, but oh how darkened! Wise as 
he is to do evil, “to do good he has no 
knowledge.” He has the power of choice; 
but his will, instead of being in harmony 
v T ith the will of God, is in direct hostility. 
He has affections, but instead of being fixed 
supremely on the Creator, they centre in the 
creature. Sin has corrupted and perverted 
all his powers. With all his natural amia¬ 
bleness and accomplishments, which we do 
not disparage, he has a heart “ alienated from 
God and the life that is out of God;” and 
it is this “ ungodliness ,” this unlikeness to 
God, this estrangement from God, that mars 
all his works, and makes them but “dead 
works” in the eye of omniscient Purity. 
“We have sometimes thought,” says one 
writer, “that we saw the fittest emblem of 
man’s fallen state in the ruins of an old 
church. Now deserted, desecrated, defiled, 
what a change is there! Save in the ivy 
that, like pity, clings to the crumbling wall, 
sustaining and veiling its decay, and in some 


22 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


sweet flower, rooted in window-sill or gaping 
rent, beauty and life are gone. Yet there, 
once on a time, many a beautiful babe was 
baptized to God; there holy words were 
spoken, holy vows were taken, and holy 
communions held. There are eyes in glory 
that turn with interest to that lovely spot. 
God and man often met within these roofless 
walls. This and that man was born there. 
But now the only sounds are the sighing of 
the wind or the roar of the storm, the hoot 
of the owl or the hiss of the serpent. No 
life is found there now, but in the brood of 
the night-bird, which has its nest among the 
ruins above, or in the worms that fatten 
upon the dead in their cold graves below. 
The glory is departed! And once a shrine 
of God, but now a deserted sanctuary, may 
we not write ‘Ichabod'on the heart? The 
ruin resounds with the echoes which the 
ear of fancy hears muttering among the des¬ 
olate heaps of Babylon—‘ Fallen! fallen ! 
fallen!' ” 


MAN NEEDS A SAVIOUR. 


23 


The whole system of redemption is founded 
upon the fact that man has apostatized from 
God. Innocent beings need no Saviour— 
need no pardon, no regeneration. The re¬ 
ligion of the gospel is the religion, not of 
holy angels, but of fallen men. “The Son 
of man came to save that which is lost ”— 
“ came not to call the righteous, but sinners 
to repentance.” 

In his apostasy man is as helpless as he is 
miserable. He may destroy himself, but he 
is utterly unable to effect his redemption. 
He may violate the law, but he can render to 
it no satisfaction. He may wander from God, 
but he will never return to him. He may 
close against himself the gate of paradise, 
but he can never open it. He is emphati¬ 
cally lost —lost to all moral goodness, lost to 
all true happiness, and liable to be lost irre¬ 
coverably and for ever;—lost like a sheep 
straying upon the barren mountains; lost 
like a traveler who has wandered out of his 
way; lost like a wrecked mariner ready to 


24 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


sink to a watery grave; lost like a criminal 
under sentence of death and on his way to 
the scaffold. 

Nothing but the extremity of our case— 
our utter and hopeless ruin—moved the Son 
of God to come to our rescue. “ In due time, 
when we were without strength, Christ died 
for the ungodly.” 

“ With pitying eyes the Prince of grace 
Beheld our helpless grief; 

He saw, and—oh amazing love!— 

He ran to our relief.” 

Never shall we truly appreciate the plan 
of salvation, never shall we cordially accept 
the provision of divine mercy, until we realize 
both our guilt and our danger. “ The whole 
need not a physician, but they that are sick.” 
It is not enough that we acknowledge the 
general sinfulness of the race; there must be 
a heartfelt sense of our personal sinfulness. 
"When D’Aubign§, the distinguished author 
of “ The History of the Reformation,” lis¬ 
tened to Robert Haldane as he read from the 


MAN NEEDS A SAVIOUR. 


25 


Epistle to the Romans a chapter descriptive 
of man’s sinfulness, convinced of a truth of 
which till then he had had no just concep¬ 
tion, he remarked, “ Now I do indeed see this 
doctrine in the Bible.” “ Yes,” replied Mr. 
Haldane, “but do you see it in your heart ?” 
That simple question was the means of awak¬ 
ening his slumbering conscience, and leading 
him as a lost sinner to lay hold on the hope 
set before him in Christ. 

Let not the reader shrink from a thorough 
investigation of his state. The discovery 
must be painful, but it may be salutary. 
The truth must be seen, either in this world 
or in the next. We are told of a certain 
philosopher who refused to look into Galileo’s 
telescope, lest he should be disturbed in his 
astronomical views. Alas! how many are 
chargeable with the same folly in reference to 
matters of infinite moment! “ Every one 

that doeth evil hateth the light, neither 
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be 
reproved.” 

3 


26 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


Dear reader, close not your eyes to your 
true condition. Take up the holy law of 
God, and there behold, as in a mirror, your 
character and standing in the eyes of infinite 
purity. Place yourself in the presence of the 
Searcher of hearts, and there scrutinize every 
thought, word and deed. Can you appeal to 
heaven that you are innocent? Does con¬ 
science accuse you of no neglect, of no sin? 
Are you prepared to stand before the tribunal 
of heaven and meet the sentence of your 
Judge? Are there no clouds resting upon 
the future, no apprehensions of wrath to 
come? Have you so kept God’s law that 
you can plant yourself upon it and claim the 
rewards of a holy life? You may never have 
been guilty of any gross immorality; but has 
your heart always been right unto God? 
The question does not concern even the num¬ 
ber of your sins, or the circumstances that 
may have tended to extenuate or to aggra¬ 
vate them; but have you never sinned at 
all ? “ The so*ul that sinneth, it shall die.” 


MAN NEEDS A SAVIOUR. 


27 


The fact once established that you have 
sinned, there is but one “Name under hea¬ 
ven given among men, whereby we must be 
saved.” 


CHAPTER II. 

A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEAEED. 

“ Laden with guilt and full of fears, 

I fly to Thee, ray Lord, 

And not a glimpse of hope appears 
But in thy written word.” 

ijUTfAN, we have seen, needs a Saviour. 

But where is that Saviour to be found ? 
Is our salvation possible ? Who will accom¬ 
plish for us the mighty work ? A knowledge 
of our fall without a knowledge of an ade¬ 
quate remedy would be but an aggravation 
of our misery. The point now to be deter¬ 
mined is, Can we be redeemed ? Can sin be 
pardoned ? Can God receive us to his favor 
and friendship? Who will solve for us this 
momentous problem? Can human reason 
furnish the necessary information? In all 
28 


A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEALED. 29 

ages of the world men’s minds have been 
perplexed with this great question, but “ the 
world by wisdom knew not God,” nor the 
way of acceptance with him. The wisest 
sages of antiquity could not but acknowledge 
their ignorance, and express the hope that 
heaven might yet disperse the clouds in which 
they were enveloped. 

God has spread out before all men two 
large volumes, which are written with his 
own hand, which are replete with instruc¬ 
tion, and therefore are entitled to our devout 
study —Creation and Providence . But where 
is the chapter and the page in which can be 
found that word Saviour ? In these vol¬ 
umes, indeed, we may read the wisdom, the 
power, the justice and the goodness of God, 
but where do you find the record of his 
mercy f Where have you any assurance that 
he can remit the penalty of his dishonored 
law and receive a rebel race to his forfeited 
favor ? “ The heavens declare the glory of 

God, and the firmament showeth his handi- 


30 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and 
night unto night showeth knowledge.” The 
sun beams with his benignity, the twinkling 
stars reflect liis glory, the birds that “sing 
among the branches” chant his praise, but 
not an object above us, nor in the world 
around us, tells us how he can be just and yet 
justify the guilty. 

The volume of divine revelation alone can 
unravel the mystery. “Thy Word is a lamp 
unto my feet and a light unto my path.” 
Extinguish this light, and what have you 
left to direct you in your bewildered course? 
You are left, like the benighted pagan, in 
utter obscurity and uncertainty—as truly 
without hope as you are without God in the 
world. Shut up the Bible and answer, if 
you can, the great question, “ How shall man 
be just with God?” The best that human 
reason can do is to impart a faint and feeble 
hope that a God of infinite goodness may 
look with a propitious eye upon his fallen 
creature; but absolute certainty—the know- 


A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEALED. 31 


ledge which can give security and rest to an 
awakened conscience—it never has furnished, 
and never can. 

An affecting incident is related in connec¬ 
tion with the memorable battle at Shiloh in 
our late war: “ After the sun had gone 

down, and the two armies had rolled back 
to prepare for another bloody strife, all was 
still and silent save the moans of the wounded 
and the groans of the dying. By and by 
there appeared, through a rift in the clouds, 
a single solitary star, and it caught the eye 
of a dying soldier and awoke the most tender, 
and sacred memories; and he began to sing, 

‘ When, marshaled on the nightly plain, 

The glittering host bestud the sky, 

One star alone of all the train 
Can fix a dying soldier’s eye.’ 

Before he reached the end of the first line 
another voice had taken up the strain, and 
then another, and another, and another, until 
that field of blood resounded with notes of 
salvation.” 


32 


THE SAVIOUR WE HEED. 


Oh yes, there is but one star that can 
guide us to the portals of bliss—“ the star, 
the star of Bethlehemthe star that shines 
upon us from the gospel; the light of that 
revelation which gives us a Saviour— 

“ Most wondrous book! bright candle of the Lord! 
Star of eternity ! the only star 
By which the bark of man could navigate 
The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss 
Securely.” 

The grand design of the Bible is to teach 
us how as sinners we may be saved; and this 
it does teach us so plainly that even a child 
need not mistake its meaning. The Scrip¬ 
tures are abundantly “ able to make us wise 
unto salvation.” 

Sad indeed would be our condition with¬ 
out this sure guide. Picture to yourself the 
darkness that enshrouded the primitive pair 
after their fearful apostasy. Conscience mut¬ 
tering its charge of guilt, the heavens seeming 
to them to frown with vengeance, the earth 
to groan in agony, and nature everywhere 


A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEALED. 33 

giving “ signs of woe that all was lost.” In 
wild despair, the fugitives endeavor to screen 
themselves from the presence of God, appre¬ 
hending every moment the execution of the 
threatened penalty; when lo ! a voice sweeter 
than angel’s notes is heard saying, “ The seed 
of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head.” 
That was the first dawn of light upon the 
dark scene—the first intimation of a Saviour, 
through whose death the power of the enemy 
was to be destroyed, and man restored to life 
and bliss. To Jesus “gave all the prophets 
witness.” “Abraham rejoiced to see his day 
and was glad.” John viii. 56. Moses spoke 
of him as the “ Shiloh to whom the gather¬ 
ing of the people should be.” Gen. xl. 10; 
and David, as the King of Zion, whose “do¬ 
minion should be from sea to sea, and from 
the river unto the ends of the earth,” and in 
whom men “should be blessed.” Psalm lxxii. 
Isaiah described him in his prophecy as “the 
Wonderful Counselor the mighty God, the 
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” 


34 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


Isa. ix. 6. Jeremiah, as “the Lord our 
righteousness.” Jer. xxiii. 6. Daniel, as 
“the Messiah” (the anointed) who was to 
be cut off by an ignominious death, “ not for 
himself,” but for a sinful race. Dan. ix. 26. 
Micah predicted his coming as “a ruler in 
Israel, whose goings forth have been from of 
old, from everlasting.” Micah v. 2. Zecha- 
riah as “the King,” “just, and having salva¬ 
tion.” Zech. ix. 9. Malachi, as “ the Mes¬ 
senger of the covenant, who would suddenly 
come to his temple,” and who would “ sit as a 
refiner and purifier of silver.” Mai. iii. 1-3. 

With a foresight which nothing but Om¬ 
niscience could possess, the most remarkable 
events and circumstances connected both with 
the life and the death of the promised De¬ 
liverer were most minutely predicted, and 
each prediction met with its exact fulfillment. 
It was foretold that his birth would be super¬ 
natural, and that it would take place in the 
obscure village of Bethlehem; that he would 
appear as an eminent teacher; that he would 


A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEALED. 35 

perform the most wonderful miracles; that 
he would be despised and rejected of men; 
that he would be betrayed into the hands of 
his enemies by an intimate friend; that he 
would be sold for thirty pieces of silver; that 
he would be forsaken by his disciples; that 
he vrnuld be scourged, spit upon and smitten; 
that he would suffer such indignities without 
a complaint; that he would be numbered 
with the transgressors in his death; that his 
persecutors would offer him during his suffer¬ 
ings vinegar and gall; that they would pierce 
his hands and feet; that in his agony they 
would treat him with derision and scorn ; 
that they would part his garments among 
them, and cast lots for his vesture; that not 
a bone of his body would be broken; that 
his side would be pierced; and that he would 
make intercession for the transgressors. 

All these particulars met with their literal 
accomplishment; and no one who honestly 
compares the predictions with the actual 
events can for a moment question the truth 


36 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


of divine revelation or the Messiahship of 
Jesus. It is said that the simple reading of 
the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, and a com¬ 
parison of its predictions with the record of 
the Saviour’s sufferings as made by the evan¬ 
gelists, was attended with such conviction to 
the once infidel and profligate Earl of Roch¬ 
ester, that he could resist the evidence of the 
divine origin of the Scriptures no longer. 
He was at once as fully persuaded that Jesus 
was the Saviour as if he had beheld him in 
the clouds, while at the same time his heart, 
before stung with remorse and guilt, became 
the seat of unutterable tranquillity and peace. 

But why did not the expected Saviour 
appear sooner? Why were four thousand 
years permitted to elapse before his advent? 
To our human judgment, it might seem as 
if the fall of man should have been followed 
immediately by the incarnation of the Son 
of God and the great atonement. Here, as 
in many other things, God’s thoughts are not 
our thoughts, nor his ways our ways. We 


A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEALED. 37 

do not pretend to fathom the depths of divine 
wisdom, but this we know, that Jesus ap¬ 
peared just at that period of the world’s his¬ 
tory which was best adapted to the accom¬ 
plishment of the great designs of infinite 
benevolence. “ When the fullness of the 
time was come, God sent forth his Son.” It 
was the time fixed upon in the purpose of 
Heaven, the time predicted by prophets, the 
time most favorable for his advent and for 
the speedy establishment of his kingdom. 

We may notice that this long delay of the 
promised Deliverer was in accordance with 
the general course of Divine Providence. In 
the matter of human inventions and discov¬ 
eries, which are all included in God’s great 
plan of human advancement, the Divine 
method has commonly been first to bring 
the race to the knowledge of its wants, so 
that it may be prepared to appreciate the 
supply. It seems to have been the design 
of the Almighty first to convince the world 
of the inefficacy of all other means to save 

4 


38 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


men before he sent to them a Saviour. A 
fair experiment had been made of all that 
human nature could do to restore itself. The 
heathen world, instead of improving, grew 
worse and worse. The most cultivated na¬ 
tions, notwithstanding their boasted wisdom 
and civilization, could not rescue themselves 
from idolatry and vice. Even the Jewish 
nation, with its marvelous advantages, dem¬ 
onstrated by its general formalism and irre- 
ligion its pressing need of a Saviour. “ Dark¬ 
ness covered the earth, and gross darkness the 
people.” 

What a fitting time for the appearance of 
the great Light of the world! Many a 
devout Israelite had long waited for it, but 
died without the sight. Pagan sages, too, 
convinced of the insufficiency of all human 
expedients to enlighten and reform the race, 
could not but express the hope that Heaven 
might yet interpose and send the needed 
relief. 

Let us thank God that we live to see the 


A SAVIOUR PROMISED AND REVEALED. 39 

fulfillment of the Divine promise. We look 
not for a Saviour to come, but to one who 
has already appeared. We contemplate him 
not as prefigured in prophecy and types, but 
as made manifest in the flesh; “for the 
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” 
“It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all 
acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the 
world to save sinners.” 

Precious Bible! which has “God for its 
author, salvation for its end, and truth, with¬ 
out any mixture of error, for its matter.” 
Let this blessed book ever be the man of 
our counsel and the guide of our life. Let 
us value it chiefly because it reveals to us a 
Saviour. “ Search the Scriptures,” says 
Jesus, “ for in them ye think ye have eternal 
life; and they are they which testify of me.” 
“ I have thought,” says Wesley, “ I am a 
creature of a day, passing through life as an 
arrow through the air. I am a spirit come 
from God and returning to God—-just hover¬ 
ing over the great gulf, till a few moments 


40 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


hence I am no more seen: I drop into an 
unchangeable eternitv. I want to know one 
thing—the way to heaven, how to land safe 
on that happy shore. God himself has con¬ 
descended to teach the way. For this very 
end he came from heaven. He hath written 
it down in a book. Oh give me that book! 
At any price give me the book of God. I 
have it; here is knowledge enough for me. 
Let me be the man of one book. Here, 
then, I am, far from the busy ways of men. 
I sit down alone; only God is here. In his 
presence I open, I read his book; to this end 
—to find the way to heaven.” 


CHAPTER III. 


JESUS A DIVINE SAVIOUR. 


“Jesus, my God! I know his name— 
His name is all my trust; 

Nor will he put my soul to shame, 
Nor let my hope be lost.” 


THO is this distinguished Being re- 


vealed to us as the Saviour ? Is he 
competent for the work he has undertaken ? 
May we put full confidence in his ability, 
and commit our immortal interests into his 
hands without fear of disappointment ? 

We will suppose that some human being 
proposes to become our Saviour. “ Trust in 
me,” he says, “and I will deliver you.” 
“ Who,” is the inquiry, “are you ? Can you 
assume the stupendous task? Can you pro¬ 
cure for me peace with God ? Can you sub¬ 
due the deep corruption of my nature? 

4 * 41 


42 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


Why, you are a creature like myself—fallen, 
ruined, helpless. You cannot atone for your 
own sins; how, then, can you atone for 
mine ?” 

Another comes forward and says, “ I will 
be your Saviour.” Again I ask, “ Who 
are you?” “ I am Gabriel, that dwell before 
the throne of God. I have looked upon your 
misery and I have come to your rescue.” 
“ But can you blot out my sins ? Can you 
redeem me from the curse? My crimes are 
infinite, and to cancel them an infinite atone¬ 
ment is demanded. Stay, Gabriel; your com¬ 
passion, however sincere, avails not in a case 
like mine; your arm is utterly powerless.” 

Jesus the Son of God now presents himself 
and says, “ Look unto me, and be saved.” 
“ But canst thou indeed save ? Who art 
thou , and what assurance dost thou give me 
of thy ability to perform the work ?” “ Fear 
not. I am God, and besides me there is no 
Saviour. All power and authority are in my 
hands. All things were made by me, and 


JESUS A DIVINE SAVIOUR. 


43 


by me all things consist. I am Alpha and 
Omega, the beginning and the ending, which 
is, and which was, and which is to come, the 
Almighty. I am he that liveth, and was 
dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, 
amen; and have the keys of hell and of 
death. True, I have taken upon me your 
feeble humanity, the nature of those whom I 
came to redeem, that in that nature I might 
become a sacrifice for your sins; but with 
your humanity I have united my divinity. 
My power is unlimited ; hesitate not to con¬ 
fide in me. There are no enemies that I can¬ 
not subdue, no stains of guilt that I cannot 
remove. My blood can cancel all your crimes, 
however aggravated; my arm can rescue you 
from the deepest abyss of woe; my voice can 
call you even from the dark recess of the 
tomb and clothe your mouldering remains 
with immortal life and vigor.” 

View this Saviour not merely as the 
Babe of Bethlehem, but as the Ancient of 
Days; not merely as a feeble man, but as 


44 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


“ the mighty God;” not merely as crowned 
with thorns, but as bearing the sceptre of 
universal empire; not merely as transfixed 
upon the cross, but as seated upon his eter¬ 
nal throne, “ far above all principality, and 
power, and might, and dominion, and every 
name that is named, not only in this world, 
but also in that which is to come.” 

Veiled as was the glory of the Godhead in 
the nature of man, both the life and the death 
of Jesus bear incontestable evidence that he 
was “ God manifest in the flesh.” His birth 
was accompanied by circumstances clearly in¬ 
dicating his divinity, and it has been truly 
said, “ If Socrates died like a philosopher, 
Jesus Christ died like a god!” 

Napoleon, in his exile at St. Helena, said 
to Count de Montholon: “ I know men, and 
I tell you that Jesus is not a man. The re¬ 
ligion of Christ is a mystery which subsists 
by its own force, and proceeds from a mind 
which is not a human mind.” Turning 
to General Bertrand, the emperor added: 


JESUS A DIVINE SAVIOUR. 


45 


“If you do not perceive that Jesus Christ is 
God, I did wrong to appoint you general.” 

The divinity of Christ constitutes an es¬ 
sential article of the Christian faith, and is 
inseparable from the doctrine of the atone¬ 
ment. These two great cardinal truths must 
stand or fall together; hence the denial of 
the one has commonly been connected with 
the denial of the other. And let it be dis¬ 
tinctly understood that when we speak of 
Christ as divine , we do not use the term in 
the sense in which it is applied to “'St. John 
the divine,” or to any mere creature, however 
exalted his rank or piety, but as expressive 
of true and supreme divinity. Jesus is the 
(i true God,” “ the mighty God,” “ the great 
God,” “ God blessed for ever.” 

If such language does not teach the su¬ 
preme deity of Christ, then it is impossible 
for language to convey the idea. 

No Saviour but one truly divine can meet 
our case. Eminent men have, on various 
occasions, been raised up to accomplish im- 


46 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


portant deliverances, who have received the 
honorable title of saviour. Thus the Lord 
raised up Moses and Joshua as saviours of 
his people Israel; and thus we call Wash¬ 
ington the saviour of his country; but no 
saviour is like Jesus. He is emphatically 
The Saviour. He saves not merely the body, 
but the soul; not merely from temporal evils, 
but from unending woes—from sin and all 
its direful consequences in this world and the 
next. Who but God can be our Saviour in 
this sense ? Who but the Being that made 
us can redeem us? Who but the Being 
against whom we have sinned can blot out 
our sins and restore us to our forfeited in¬ 
heritance ? 

Do we need a Saviour who is omniscient 
—one who is fully acquainted with all our 
wants and circumstances ? “ Lord,” said 

Peter, “ thou knowest all things.” Jesus 
“knew all men, and needed not that any 
should testify of man, for he knew what 
was in man.” 


JESUS A DIVINE SAVIOUR. 


47 


Do we need a Saviour who is omnipresent 
—one who is with us at all times and in all 
places, to guide us in our perplexities, 
strengthen us in our weakness, defend us 
in our dangers and comfort us in our sor¬ 
rows ? “ Lo,” says Jesus, “ I am with you 

always, even unto the end of the world.” 
“ Where two or three are gathered together 
in my name, there am I in the midst of 
them.” 

Do we need a Saviour who is omnipotent — 
one who can do for us all that he has promised 
and all that our circumstances can require? 
“I,” says he, “am the Almighty” Rev. i. 8. 
He is “ the head of all power.” “ By him 
were all things created that are in heaven 
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, 
whether they be thrones or dominions, or 
principalities or powers. All things were 
created by him and for him; and he is be¬ 
fore all things, and by him all things consist.” 
Col. i. 16, 17. 

Do we need a Saviour who is immutable — 


48 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


one whose power, grace and faithfulness are 
ever the same? Jesus is “the same yester¬ 
day, to-day, and for ever.” 

Do we need a Saviour who can pardon sin 
—can deliver us from the penalty of trans¬ 
gression? “ Christ hath redeemed us from 
the curse of the law, being made a curse for 
us.” “ The Son of man hath power on earth 
to forgive sin.” 

Do we need a Saviour to cleanse us from 
our spiritual defilement? “The blood of 
Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” 

Do we need a Saviour who can sustain us 
in our conflicts and trials? Jesus is “King 
of kings and Lord of lords.” He “uphold- 
eth all things by the word of his power.” 
“ My sheep,” says he, “ shall never perish, 
neither shall any pluck them out of my 
hand.” 

Do we need a Saviour to whom we can 
commend ourselves in the hour of death? 
“Lord Jesus,” prayed the dying martyr, 
“ receive my spirit.” 


JESUS A DIVINE SAVIOUR. 49 

Do we need a Saviour who can wake us 
from the slumber of the tomb? “The hour 
is coming in the which all that are in the 
graves shall hear the voice of the Son of 
God, and shall come forth.” “He shall 
change our vile body, that it may be fash¬ 
ioned like unto his glorious body, according 
to the working whereby he is able to sub¬ 
due all things unto himself.” 

Do we need a Saviour who can open to us 
the portals of bliss, and secure for us eternal 
redemption? “I know,” said Paul, “whom 
I have believed, and am persuaded that he is 
able to keep that which I have committed 
unto him against that day.” “ My sheep,” 
said Jesus, “hear my voice, and I know them, 
and they follow me and I give unto them eter¬ 
nal life.” 

Surely a being who can do this can be no 
creature. This is the work not of man, but 
of God—of a being possessed of all the perfec¬ 
tions and prerogatives of the Godhead. Who 
but God knows all things, and can do all 


50 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


things ? Who but God fills heaven and 
earth with his presence ? Who but God can 
forgive sin, or deliver from its power and 
dominion? Who but God can direct our 
steps, defend us from our foes, cheer us in 
our sorrows, give us the victory over death, 
raise our bodies from the tomb, and afford us 
at last an entrance into the kingdom of glory? 
No creature could be delegated to perform 
works like these. This would be to make 
of a creature a God, to invest him with the 
attributes of a God, and entitle him to the 
honors of a God. 

Oh no ! Jesus must be truly divine, or he 
would be no Saviour for me. Who would 
commit his eternal interests into the hands 
of any other being ? Gabriel himself would 
be unworthy of such a trust. “ I would not,” 
says Dr. Mason, “ thus entrust my body, nor 
a single member of it, to the mightiest angel 
God ever created. Oh no! no! When a 
Christian anticipates his departure to the 
eternal world, he must have other and better 


JESUS A DIVINE SAVIOUR. 


51 


security. Heaven is not more distant from 
earth than is the ground of his confidence 
from such a broken reed. He will not make 
such desperate experiments with his immor¬ 
tality” 

Dear reader! You have a soul of incal¬ 
culable worth—a soul that must exist for ever 
in happiness or misery. What will you do 
with that soul ? To whom will you commit 
it for safe-keeping ? To whom will you trust 
it now ? To whom will you trust it in the 
hour of death ? Fear not to confide it to an 
Almighty Redeemer. Had you a thousand 
souls, you might safely entrust them to him. 
Lean not on an arm of flesh when you may 
lean on the arm of Omnipotence. Build not 
your hope on the sand when you may estab¬ 
lish it on the “Rock of Ages.” You must 
trust to some one for salvation ; why not trust 
to Him who is “mighty to save”—“able 
to save to the uttermost all who come unto 
God by him ?” 


CHAPTER IV. 

JESTIS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 

“Proclaim inimitable love: 

Jesus, the Lord of worlds above, 

Puts off the beams of bright array, 

And veils the God in mortal clay.” 

S T is of the utmost importance that we 
entertain just views of the person and 
mission of the Saviour. “ What think ye of 
Christ ?” is a question that concerns every 
human being—a question to which we should 
be ready to return a definite and intelligent 
answer. All genuine Christianity is founded 
in correct views of Christ. This is the key 
by which we may unlock the whole Christian 
system and enter into its glorious mysteries. 
A radical mistake here must be followed by 
the most disastrous consequences. 

52 


JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 53 


We have already contemplated the Saviour 
in his divinity. To every unprejudiced 
mind it must be obvious that the same Being 
that made us must redeem us; that the same 
Being against whom we have sinned, must 
extend to us pardon; that no arm but the 
arm of Omnipotence can rescue us from our 
deep and helpless misery. Though the 
human nature of Christ only could suffer, it 
required the union of the divine with the 
human to give to his sufferings sufficient 
value and importance to constitute an ade¬ 
quate atonement for sin, and render the ex¬ 
ercise of mercy consistent with the claims of 
justice. The divine nature of Christ was 
the Altar; his human nature the Sacrifice, 
and it is “ the Altar that sanctifieth the 
Gift.” 

The Scriptures plainly exhibit Christ in a 
twofold aspect—as divine and human, as 
God and man; and it is only while we keep 
this distinction in view that we can reconcile 
the different representations which are given 


54 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


of him by the inspired penmen. Thus he is 
spoken of both as “ the root and the offspring 
of David”—as David’s Creator and as Da¬ 
vid’s son. At one time we read, “ I and my 
Father are oneat another, “ My Father is 
greater than I.” As man, the existence of 
Christ began when he was born at Bethlehem; 
as God, “ his goings forth were of old, even 
from everlasting.” As man, he appeared in 
the form of a helpless babe; as God, all the 
hosts of heaven were commanded at his birth 
“to worship him.” Heb. i. 6. As man, he 
slept in the vessel during the storm; as God, 
he rebuked the winds and the waves, and 
there was a calm. As man, he wept at the 
tomb of Lazarus; as God, he called the dead 
to life. As man, he hung in agony on the 
cross; as God, he rescued a fellow-sufferer at 
his side, just sinking into perdition. As man, 
his lifeless frame was laid in the sepulchre; 
as God, he burst the bands of death and 
proved himself to be “the resurrection and 
the life.” 


JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 55 

These apparently conflicting statements can 
be made to harmonize only by the admission 
that Jesus was both God and man. Well 
did one of our converted Indians, in address¬ 
ing a congregation, remark in his peculiar 
but expressive style, “ When Jesus came into 
the world he threw his blanket around him, 
but the God was within.” 

The great fact of the Saviour’s humanity, 
like that of his divinity, is asserted in the 
most explicit terms: “The Word was made 
flesh, and dwelt among us“ God was 
manifest in the flesh;” “Forasmuch as the 
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he 
also himself took part of the same.” 

The word flesh here, as in other passages, 
is expressive of real humanity. Christ did 
not assume human nature in appearance 
only; he was not a mere phantom, but truly 
and properly man, possessed of both a body 
and a soul: “ When he cometh into the 
world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou 
wouldst not, but a body hast thou prepared 


56 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


me.” He was made “ bone of our bone, and 
flesh of our flesh.” Equally evident is it that 
he also possessed a human soul. Hence he 
“ increased in wisdom” as he increased in 
stature. “ He made his soul an offering for 
sin.” u My soul,” said he “ is exceeding 
sorrowful even unto death.” 

These two natures in the person of Christ 
—the divine and the human—however 
closely united, still remained distinct, each 
possessing its peculiar attributes or proper¬ 
ties ; so that it cannot properly he said that 
God became man, nor that man became God. 
And yet so intimate was this union that acts 
and sufferings predicated of one nature are 
sometimes predicated of the other. “ In him 
dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” 
—dwelt not as God is sometimes said to dwell 
in the hearts of his people, holding with them 
sacred communion, but in a way far higher 
and to us utterly inexplicable. 

“ Great is the mystery of godliness. God 
was manifest in the flesh.” But shall we dis- 


JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 57 

believe a fact because it is to us incompre¬ 
hensible ? Then must our creed be a short 
one indeed. The world is full of mysteries. 
We are a mystery to ourselves. We cannot 
even comprehend the union of the body and 
the spirit. “ Who by searching can find out 
God? Who can find out the Almighty to 
perfection?” 

u Our souls, with all the powers we boast, 

Are in the boundless prospect lost.” 

But we come now to the more practical part 
of this subject. The mystery of the incarnation 
is replete with instruction and consolation. 

1. What infinite condescension was it in the 
Son of God to clothe himself in our feeble 
humanity, to take upon himself the form of a 
servant, and to be made in the likeness of 
men! It would have been a wondrous stoop 
had he taken upon himself an angelic nature; 
but that would not have been adapted to ac¬ 
complish the benevolent design of his mission. 
An angel might suffer, but an angel could 
not bleed and die; but “without shedding 


58 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


of blood, there is no remission.” The same 
nature that sinned must be assumed in order 
to atone for sin. Hence says the apostle: 
“ Verily, he took not on him the nature of 
angels, but he took on him the seed of Abra¬ 
ham” Heb. i. 16. 

What an act of self-denial was this ! The 
Monarch of the skies, the Creator and Up¬ 
holder of all worlds, appears in the form of 
feeble man, and appears in the deepest humil¬ 
iation. He might have assumed our nature 
under circumstances less humiliating; but in 
his birth, his life and his death he submitted 
to the very lowest abasement, and all this to re¬ 
deem a rebel world meriting only unmingled 
and eternal evil. Well may all heaven be 
astonished at such condescension, and well may 
earth break forth in one loud harmonious 
strain of praise to her great Redeemer. 

2. I.low near is God thus brought to man ! 
How wonderful the revelation which is here 
made of the “ invisible God,” and how strong 
the attraction to draw us to himself! “No 


JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 59 

man hath seen God at any time; the only 
begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the 
Father, he hath declared him.” The infinite 
majesty of heaven, dwelling in light which 
no man can approach unto, is, by the incar¬ 
nation, brought within the cognizance of our 
senses; and, while there is presented to us the 
fullest display of the divine perfections, it is 
through a medium which, instead of repelling, 
attracts; instead of inspiring terror, inspires 
confidence; instead of dazzling and confound¬ 
ing by its excessive brightness, suffers us to 
contemplate it with ineffable delight and joy. 
When Jehovah manifested himself on Mount 
Sinai amidst thunder and lightning, and the 
voice of a trumpet, the people, overawed by 
the grandeur of the scene, said to Moses: 
“ Speak thou with us and we will hear ; but 
let not God speak with us, lest we die.” And 
even the man of God exclaimed, “I exceed¬ 
ingly fear and quake.” But now, when we 
gaze upon the same glory as it beams in the 
face of Jesus Christ, we behold not only a 


60 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


God of terrible justice, but a God of un¬ 
bounded mercy; not only a God of infinite 
majesty, but a God of infinite condescension. 
“ God was in Christ reconciling the world 
unto himself, not imputing their trespasses 
unto them.” 

“ Till God in human flesh I see, 

My thoughts no comfort find; 

The holy, just and sacred Three 
. Are terrors to my mind; 

But if Immanuel’s face appear, 

My hope, my joy begins; 

His name forbids my slavish fear, 

His grace removes my sins.” 

3. How highly , too , has our nature been ex¬ 
alted by its union with the divine in the person 
of Christ! What unspeakable honor has 
thus been conferred upon our race! Well 
may we exclaim, in view of this wonderful 
event, “ What is man that thou art mindful 
of him? or the son of man that thou visitesfc 
him ?” 

In the glorified humanity of Christ we 



JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 61 

have a perfect model of the future elevation 
of the whole body of the redeemed. Be¬ 
lievers are said to be “joint heirs with 
Christ,” to be “partakers of his glory.” 
“ The glory,” said Jesus, “ which thou gavest 
me, I have given them.” The members are 
to share, at least in some degree, the same 
honor, triumph and felicity as the Head. 
What Christ now is, that all his people shall 
eventually be too. They shall live and reign 
with him for ever—be like him both in body 
and in spirit. This is an honor that is not 
conferred even upon angels. They stand in 
no such interesting and endearing relation to 
Christ; 

“ They never sunk so low, 

They are not raised so high; 

They never knew such depths of woe, 

Such heights of majesty.” 

4. By this assumption of our nature, how 
admirably is Jesus qualified to sympathize with 
us in our trials! “We have not a high 


6 


62 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


priest which cannot be touched with the feel¬ 
ing of our infirmities, but was in all points 
tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 
Heb. ii. 15. “ In all things it behooved him 

to be made like unto his brethren, that he 
might be a merciful and faithful high priest 
in things pertaining to God, to make recon¬ 
ciliation for the sins of the people.” Heb. 
ii. 17. 

“ Touched with a sympathy within, 

He knows our feeble frame; 

He knows what sore temptations mean, 

For he has felt the same. 

He in the days of feeble flesh 
Poured out his cries and tears; 

And in his measure feels afresh 
What every member bears.” 

Nothing is so well calculated to excite our 
sympathies for the afflicted as the experience 
of affliction ourselves. To whom, in the hour 
of bereavement and sorrow, are we. apt to re¬ 
pair for consolation but to those who have 
passed through similiar trials ? “ There is 

something in affliction itself which, by in- 


JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 63 

creasing the delicacy of our feelings, and de¬ 
taching our thoughts from the usual round 
of objects which present themselves to the 
mind when in a state of health, may be easily 
conceived to make us susceptible of stronger 
and more permanent impressions of an affec¬ 
tionate nature.” None, therefore, are better 
qualified to be useful to the sick than those 
who have been sick themselves; to console 
the bereaved, than those who have endured 
bereavement; to guide the perplexed and to 
relieve the tempted, than those who have 
passed through the same conflicts. 

Thus “the Captain of our salvation was 
made perfect through suffering.” As a man 
he had all the feelings of a man. He met 
his sorrows not with stoical indifference, but 
with the deepest sensibility. His divinity, so 
far from absorbing his humanity, gave to it a 
peculiar susceptibility. The activity of his 
mind and the delicacy of his feelings ren¬ 
dered him impressible to every touch of pleas¬ 
ure and of pain. Hence we read that he 


64 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


wept; that he groaned in spirit; that he 
made supplications with strong cryings and 
tears; that he was sore amazed and very 
heavy; that his soul was exceeding sorrowful 
even unto death; that he sweat as it were 
great drops of blood falling to the ground. 
He took upon hirn all our infirmities, and 
experienced all the sad variety of human woe. 
Are you afflicted with poverty ? The Son of 
Man had nowhere to lay his head. Do you 
experience the fickleness of human friend¬ 
ship? One of his disciples denied him, 
another betrayed him. Are you persecuted 
for righteousness’ sake? “ Consider Him who 
endured such contradiction of sinners against 
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your 
minds.” Are you assailed by temptation? 
“ In all points he was tempted like as we are, 
yet without sin.” Are you shedding the 
tears of bereavement? Jesus wept over the 
grave of one whom he loved. Must you con¬ 
tend with the king of terrors ? He too met 
the enemy in his most terrific form. Are you 


JESUS HUMAN AS WELL AS DIVINE. 65 

moved with compassion for a dying world ? 
His heart was crushed in view of the same 
scene. “ Surely he hath borne our griefs 
and carried our sorrows.” 

Afflicted one, why not then repair to him 
for consolation? Your trials maybe pecu¬ 
liar. You can hardly mention them even to 
your nearest friend; but you may carry them 
all to Jesus, and pour forth your burdened 
spirit to him, with the assurance of sympathy. 
Tell him all; keep nothing back. He invites 
you near. He bears you on his heart, and is 
ready to afford you the needed relief. No 
human sympathy can reach the depth of your 
sorrow, but if you cannot look around you 
for comfort, look up. Behold there One 
clothed in your own nature. His exaltation 
has made no change in his compassion. Oh 
cleave to this sympathizing Saviour. Get 
near his heart. Bathe your soul in its tide 
of love, and confide in him as your faithful 
and unchangeable friend. 


CHAPTER V. 

JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUli. 

“ Thou most indulgent, most tremendous Power! 

Still more tremendous for thy wondrous love, 

That arms with awe more awful thy commands, 

And foul transgression dips in sevenfold night! 

How our hearts tremble at thy love immense! 

Thou, rather than thy justice should be stained, 
Didst stain the cross, and—work of wonders far 
The greatest! that thy dearest far might bleed.’ 

OW does Jesus save ? Is it merely by 
an act of power f When this world 
was called into being, “ he spake, and it was 
done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” 
He said, u Let there be light, and there was 
light.” How different when man is re¬ 
deemed ! Here is demanded not only a dis¬ 
play of divine power, but the most stupend¬ 
ous sacrifice. 



66 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUR. 67 

Is man saved simply by the Saviour’s 
instructions and doctrine f Jesus, indeed, 
appeared as a most eminent prophet. He 
was emphatically the Great Teacher. Never 
man spake as he did. Never before were 
such revelations made of the character of 
God, of the spirituality of the law, of the in¬ 
visible world and of the destiny of man. 
His teachings, however, simply pointed out 
the way to salvation—it was by his sacrifice 
on the cross that he became the way. Had 
nothing more been requisite for man’s salva¬ 
tion than the mere announcement of the truth, 
it surely did not require one so exalted as the 
Son of God to accomplish that object. Paul, 
or Peter, or John, or any other man divinely 
commissioned, might have been an agent 
equally suitable. 

Hoes Jesus save by the perfect example he 
has set us f We need, indeed, just such an 
example, and the highest attainment of hu¬ 
manity consists in conformity to his blessed 
image. But, then, how is that image to be 


68 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


attained? How is our fallen nature to be 
restored to such moral excellence? How is 
the punishment due to our transgressions to 
be avoided? Failing as we do of the model 
of holiness before us, how are our short¬ 
comings to be forgiven? We cannot speak 
in too exalted terms of the life of Christ. 
All that he did, as well as all that he suf¬ 
fered, was for us. Our salvation, however, 
is ascribed not only to his immaculate life, 
but especially to his meritorious death. 

Nor are we saved even by the death of 
Christ, regarded simply as the death of a 
martyr. The testimony which he bore to the 
truth he finally sealed with his blood; and 
both in his life and in his death he is exhib¬ 
ited to us as a perfect model of meekness, 
fortitude and self-sacrifice. But the death of 
Jesus was more than the death of a martyr. 
Others besides him have died in defence of 
the truth, have suffered even the death of the 
cross, and the blood of the martyrs has proved 
“ the seed of the Churchbut the blood of 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUK. 69 

Jesus is the ransom of the Church—the 
foundation of the Church. “Was Paul cru¬ 
cified”— crucified for man’s redemption? 
No; “it is Christ that died”—died as no 
one but Christ ever died—died to accomplish 
an end that could be secured by no other 
death. The sacrifice of the cross is exhibited 
as the grand wonder of the moral universe, 
and upon it is suspended all human hope and 
happiness. 

There are some who, while they retain the 
word “atonement,” utterly ignore the great 
truth it denotes. In their view, the atone¬ 
ment consists simply in the moral effect which 
the manifestation of God’s love has upon the 
human heart, without any direct reference to 
the law of God or the claims of divine jus¬ 
tice. Christ, it is maintained, was a mere 
man or creature, who appeared in our world 
as an eminent prophet. As such he pro¬ 
claimed the truth. By his holy and unblem¬ 
ished life he set us an example of exalted 
virtue; and finally, as a martyr, died in at- 


70 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


testation of the truth he taught, and afforded 
us a remarkable instance of patience and for¬ 
titude. By the contemplation of these facts 
the human heart is melted to penitence and 
drawn forth in love, and man is thus brought 
to a state of reconciliation with God. 

We have not so learned Christ. This is 
a very different atonement from that taught 
in the Scriptures. Had God so ordered, such 
an atonement might have been made by any 
human being. The death of Christ was not 
merely a manifestation of God’s love, but 
also of his justice; a propitiation, through 
which God might “declare his righteousness” 
in “ the remission of sin,” “ that he might be 
just and the justifier of him which believeth 
in Jesus.” Bom. iii. 25, 26. It was thus 
that mercy found a channel through which it 
might flow to a world in sin. It was thus 
that the violated law was magnified and 
made honorable, while its merited penalty 
might be graciously remitted. 

This is what we mean by the atonement: 



JESUS AN ATONING. SAVIOUR. 71 

an expedient by which the exercise of mercy 
may be rendered consistent with the claims 
of justice; by which the authority of the law 
may be secured while the sinner is pardoned; 
a substitute for the actual infliction of the 
legal penalty upon the offender, that for the 
sake of which man can be restored to the for¬ 
feited favor of his Maker. “ Christ died for 
the ungodly”—“died for our sins, according 
to the Scriptures.” “ He suffered, the just 
for the unjust, that he might bring us to 
God.” “He was made sin for us who knew 
no sin, that we might be made the righteous¬ 
ness of God in him.” “ The Lord laid on 
him the iniquity of us all.” 

If such language does not teach a vicarious 
atonement, then no language can teach it. 
Let us beware that we do not “deny the 
Lord who bought us,” by robbing him of 
his mediatorial honor, and thus involve our¬ 
selves in the terrible doom of those for whom 
“ there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin.” 

No careful student of the Bible can over- 


72 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


look the great prominence which the sacred 
writers give to the blood of Christ as the only 
effective propitiation for sin, the only founda¬ 
tion of man’s hope. Let me call the reader’s 
special attention to this point: 

“ In whom we have redemption through 
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.’’ Col. 
i. 14. 

“ Feed the Church of God, which he hath 
purchased with his own blood.” Acts xx. 28. 

“This cup is the new testament in my 
blood.” Luke xxii. 20. 

“Having made peace through the blood 
of the cross.” Col. i. 20. 

“ Being now justified by his blood, we shall 
be saved from wrath through him.” Rom. 
v. 9. 

“ The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans- 
eth us from all sin.” 1 John i. 7. 

“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.” 
Heb. x. 19. 

“ Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUK. 73 

and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” 
John vi. 53. 

“Redeemed with the precious blood of 
Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and 
without spot.” 1 Pet. i. 18, 19. 

“ Without shedding of blood is no remis¬ 
sion.” Heb. ix. 22. 

“ Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy 
blood.” Rev. v. 9. 

Could this be said of the blood of any 
martyr? Could it be said of the blood of 
any one save Jesus ? Why is such stress laid 
on the blood which he shed on the cross? 
Why is there ascribed to that blood such 
wonderful efficacy? Why is it represented 
as the only source and meritorious cause of 
our pardon, our justification, our access to 
God, our victory over our foes, and our en¬ 
trance into heaven ? “ The life of the flesh 

is in the blood, and I have given it to you 
upon the altar, to make an atonement for 
your souls, for it is the blood that maketh an 
atonement for the soul.” Lev. xvii. 11. 

7 


74 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


Under the Mosaic dispensation “ almost all 
things were purged by blood.” The remiss¬ 
ion of sin could be secured only by an ex¬ 
piatory offering. The offender must confess 
his guilt over the substituted animal, and, as 
its blood flowed upon the altar, the great 
truth was declared, every morning and even¬ 
ing, that there is no pardon without an atone¬ 
ment. Did, then, the sacrifice of a mere 
animal atone for sin? By no means. It 
was only a type of that one meritorious Sac¬ 
rifice which was to be offered “in the fullness 
of time.” “ It is impossible that the blood 
of bulls and of goats should take away sin.” 
Such offerings could have no inherent effi¬ 
cacy, and constituted no adequate ground for 
the extension of pardon. They were only 
“ shadows of good things to come,” and de¬ 
rived all their significance and importance 
from their typical reference to “ the Lamb of 
God who taketh away the sin of the world.” 
The violated law demanded the death of the 
sinner, and by blood alone could an atone- 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUK. 75 

inent be made for his sins. A Jewess once 
cast her eye upon the leaf of a hymn-book 
which had come into the house around some 
article from the grocery. It contained these 
lines of Dr. Watts : 

“ Not all the blood of beasts 
On Jewish altars slain 
Could give the guilty conscience peace, 

Or wash away the stain.” 

That verse proved the means of her conver¬ 
sion, and she now fully realized the precious¬ 
ness of that blood which alone cleanseth from 
sin, rejoicing in the blessed assurance, 

“That Christ, the heavenly Lamb, 

Takes all our sin away— 

A sacrifice of nobler name 
And richer blood than they.” 

Though forsaken by her husband, she re¬ 
mained steadfast, and eventually died in the 
peace of a triumphant faith. 

This principle of substitution, on which is 
based the Christian system of redemption, 
though in some respects peculiar, is in perfect 


76 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


harmony with the common sentiments of men, 
and is clearly recognized in the daily transac¬ 
tions of human life. How often do we re¬ 
ceive benefits, not on account of any claim we 
have upon them, but for the sake of others 
with whom we may in some way be con¬ 
nected ! A young man, who by his dissolute 
habits is reduced to want, calls on you for 
assistance. His very appearance is revolt¬ 
ing, and you regard him as utterly unworthy 
of your charities. On inquiry, however, you 
find that he is the wayward son of your inti¬ 
mate friend, for whom you cherish the high¬ 
est respect. “Well, young man,” you say, 
“ though there may be nothing in you to en¬ 
title you to my regard, yet, for the sake of 
your venerated father, I will afford you 
relief.” It is thus that God deals with us 
when we come to him in the name of Christ. 
He sees in us nothing but sin and misery. 
Justly might he spurn us from his presence 
and deny our request, but he now looks upon 
the face of his Anointed, and then looks with 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUR. 77 

favor upon us. We are accepted “ in the Be¬ 
loved,” forgiven and made heirs of an eternal 
inheritance “for Christ’s sake”—saved, not 
on account of any merit in us, but on account 
of the merit of another—saved, not on the 
ground of justice, but of grace. 

Let me illustrate this by the following 
case: “ One morning a beautiful girl, four¬ 
teen years of age, presented herself alone at 
the gate of one of the palaces of France. It 
was when the first Napoleon was consul. 
Her tears and woe moved the keeper, a kind- 
hearted man, to admit her. She found her 
way to the presence of Napoleon as he was 
passing through one of the apartments, ac¬ 
companied by several of his ministers. In 
a delirium of emotion the child rushed to his 
feet and exclaimed, 1 Pardon, Sire! pardon 
for my father!’ 

“ 1 And who is your father ?’ said Napoleon, 
kindly. ‘ Who are you V 

“ ‘ I am the daughter of Lajolia/ she re¬ 
plied, ‘ and my father is doomed to die!’ 


78 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


"‘Ah, my child/ said Napoleon, 'but this 
is the second time your father has conspired 
against the State. I can do nothing for you.’ 

“' Alas, Sire !’ the poor child exclaimed, 
* I know it; but the first time papa was in¬ 
nocent, and to-day I do not ask for justice; 
I implore pardon, pardon for him/ 

“ Napoleon’s lips trembled, tears filled his 
eyes, and taking the little hand of the child 
in both of his, he tenderly pressed it, and 
said, ' Well, my child, yes ! For your sake I 
will forgive your father. This is enough. 
Now rise and leave me/ ” 

Thus are we all as sinners condemned to 
death eternal; but there is One who pleads in 
our behalf, One who suffered in our stead, and 
for his sake alone are we forgiven; not as 
being innocent—for the innocent need no 
forgiveness—but as being guilty and in¬ 
finitely ill-deserving. 

Let not the fact that we are saved solely 
for Christ’s sake lead any to conclude that 
God 'is vindictive and implacable. The 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUR. 79 


very reverse is the case. The work of re¬ 
demption is the fruit of divine mercy. It is 
because God loved the world that he “ spared 
not his own Son.” It was because he was 
disposed to forgiveness that he devised and 
revealed a plan by which he might forgive 
without any disparagement to his justice or 
dishonor to his violated law. 

“’Twas not to make Jehovah’s love 
Toward his people flame, 

That Jesus from the throne above 
A suffering man became. 

’Twas not the death which he endured, 

Nor all the pangs he bore, 

That God’s eternal love procured, 

For God was love before.” 

But why may not man be forgiven simply 
on the ground of his repentance and reforma¬ 
tion ? Why ? Because the law makes no pro¬ 
vision for his pardon on that ground. Its 
requirements are absolute, its sanctions im¬ 
mutable. “Do this,” it says, “and live; 
disobey, and die.” The penalty of that law, 
once incurred, must be inflicted, unless some 


80 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


means can be devised by which it can be as 
fully honored as it would be in the sinners’ 
punishment. It was to meet this difficulty 
that Jesus became our substitute. “ He hath 
redeemed us from the curse of the law, being 
made a curse for us.” Thus has he become 
“ the end of the law for righteousness, to 
every one that believeth.” 

Tears cannot obliterate crime; reformation 
can make no adequate amends for transgres¬ 
sion. The pardon of criminals always tends 
to weaken the force of law. A sweeping 
pardon of all criminals on the ground of their 
penitence must result in the entire subversion 
of government. Forgiveness could not be 
safely extended even to penitent men unless 
they should offer some satisfaction for their 
sins. The difference between this scheme 
and that revealed in the Gospel is simply 
this: in the one case, the satisfaction is sup¬ 
posed to be rendered by the sinner him¬ 
self; in the other, it is rendered by his substi¬ 
tute. 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUR. 81 

How wonderfully adapted is this plan of 
redemption through the substituted right¬ 
eousness, the all-sufficient atonement of Jesus, 
to man’s necessities! How full of encour¬ 
agement is it to all the truly penitent! It 
is no easy matter for one deeply convinced 
of sin to persuade himself that there is for¬ 
giveness with God. The law thunders upon 
his guilty path its fearful anathemas, and 
Divine justice seems to demand that he should 
suffer the penalty of his transgressions. 
“ How, then,” is the agonizing inquiry, “ can 
a Being of unspotted purity receive to his 
favor one so vile and unworthy?” When 
Col. Gardiner, that once profligate sinner, 
was awakened to a sense of his lost condition, 
it appeared to him that God could not be 
just unless he made him a monument of 
eternal vengeance; and it was not until the 
eyes of the penitent were directed to the cross 
that he was relieved of his perplexity, and 
enabled to cherish the hope of salvation. 
Now his fear was exchanged for hope, his 


82 


THE SAVIOUR WE HEED. 


sorrow for joy, and no language could ex¬ 
press his grateful sense of redeeming mercy. 

Similar was the experience of Cowper. 
The same passage of Scripture that brought 
such comfort to the soldier dispelled the 
gloom of the poet. Let us hear his own 
language : “ The happy period which was to 
shake off my fetters, and afford me a clear 
discovery of the free mercy of God in Christ 
Jesus, had now arrived. I threw myself into 
a chair near the window, and, seeing a Bible 
there, ventured once more to apply to it for 
comfort and instruction. The first verse I 
saw was the twenty-fifth of the third of Ro¬ 
mans : ‘ Whom God hath set forth to be a 
propitiation through faith in his blood, to 
declare his righteousness for the remission of 
sins that are past, through the forbearance of 
God/ Immediately I received strength to 
believe, and the full beams of the Sun of 
righteousness shone upon me. I saw the 
sufficiency of the atonement he had made for 
my pardon and justification. In a moment I 


JESUS AN ATONING SAVIOUR. 83 

believed and received the peace of the gospel. 
Unless the Almighty arm had been under me, 
I think I should have been overwhelmed 
with gratitude and joy. My eyes filled with 
tears and my voice choked with transport. 
I could only look up to heaven in silent fear, 
overwhelmed with love and wonder. How 
glad should I now have been to have spent 
every moment in prayer and thanksgiving! 
I lost no opportunity of repairing to a throne 
of grace, but flew to it with earnestness irre¬ 
sistible and never to be satisfied.” 

Dear reader, on what do you base your 
hope of acceptance with God ? On your in- 
nocency? Conscience as well as the Bible 
declares that you are guilty. On your good 
deeds ? “ By the deeds of the law no flesh 

shall be justified.” On Divine mercy ? “A 
God all mercy is a God unjust.” There is 
but one hope for sinful, condemned men. 
You must look to Jesus —“ Behold the Lamb 
of God that taketh away the sin of the 
world.” Soon you must die; you must 


84 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


stand before God; you must render your 
account, and receive your eternal sentence. 
Oh see that you are “ found in Christ,” the 
only refuge, clothed in the robe of his per¬ 
fect righteousness and washed from your sins 
in his most precious blood. There is no sal¬ 
vation but by blood. It is written on every 
Jewish altar, on every communion-table, on 
every harp in glory —No salvation but by 
blood. 





CHAPTER VI. 


JJESUS AJST INTEJRCEDIJSJG SAVIOUR. 


“ Th’ atoning work is done— 

The victim’s blood is shed; 

And Jesus now is gone, 

His people’s cause to plead: 

He stands in heaven, their great High Priest, 
And bears their names upon his breast.” 



/TTHAT believer would not regard it as 


an unspeakable privilege to behold 
the “ Man of sorrows” as he now sits en¬ 
throned in glory? How has the Saviour 
been employed since his triumphal ascen¬ 
sion to heaven ? What interest does he now 
feel in the great cause for which he died, 
and in what manner is he engaged in car¬ 
rying on his mighty work to its glorious 
result? 

To these questions the Scriptures have fur- 


8 


85 


86 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


nished an explicit answer: “Wherefore he 
is able to save them to the uttermost that 
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth 
to make intercession for them.” Heb. vii. 25. 
“ Who is he that condemneth ? It is Christ 
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who 
is even at the right hand of God, who also 
maketh intercession for us.” Rom. viii. 34. 
“ If any man sin, we have an advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 
John ii. 1. “Christ is not entered into the 
holy places made with hands, which are the 
figures of the true, but into heaven itself, 
now to appear in the presence of God for us.” 
Heb. ix. 24. 

As the high priest, after he had offered the 
appointed sacrifice, entered “the holiest of 
all,” and there sprinkled the blood of atone¬ 
ment and made intercession for the people, so 
Jesus, having offered himself “once for all,” 
passed into heaven, there to plead the merits 
of his own blood for the salvation of every 
true believer. 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 87 

It might be interesting to us to know 
whether our Saviour intercedes for us with 
uttered words, but the question could be of 
no practical importance. What we need to 
be assured of, is the fact that he does inter¬ 
cede for us, and this, we have seen, is estab¬ 
lished by the most positive testimony. The 
very appearance of the great Mediator before 
the throne as the bleeding victim of the 
cross, the presentation of his sacrifice, and his 
will, thus expressed, that the merits of his 
death and righteousness may be applied to 
his people, is itself a plea the most powerful 
and effectual. The Assembly’s Larger Cate¬ 
chism has, therefore, well represented the 
intercession of Christ as consisting in “ his ap¬ 
pearing in our nature continually before the 
Father in heaven, in the merit of his obedi¬ 
ence and sacrifice on earth; declaring his will 
to have it applied to all believers; answering 
all accusations against them; and procuring 
for them quiet of conscience, notwithstanding 
their daily failings, access with boldness to 


88 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


the throne of grace, and acceptance of their 
persons and services.” 

The intercession of Christ is as real in 
heaven as it was while he was on earth. 
Invisible as he is to mortal eye, he presents 
himself before the eternal throne, bearing on 
his heart the names of all his redeemed peo¬ 
ple, and pleading for the bestowment of every 
needed blessing. “ I will pray the Father,” 
said he to his sorrowing disciples, “and he 
shall give you another Comforter, that he may 
abide with you for ever.” And the Father is 
represented as saying to him, “Ask of me, 
and I shall give thee the heathen for thine 
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the 
earth for thy possession.” 

The intercession of Jesus is founded on his 
sacrifice. He brings no complaint against 
the justice of the violated law. He offers no 
apology or extenuation for the crimes of men. 
He fully admits that the sinner is without 
excuse, and most richly merits eternal death; 
while at the same time he refers to his own 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 89 

meritorious sufferings as a plea for the exer¬ 
cise of mercy toward all who truly repent and 
believe. “ His death pleads for our life; his 
blood cries for our safety; his tears procure 
our comfort, and everlasting joy is borne to 
us on the breeze of his deep-drawn sighs.” 

History informs us of tw r o brothers, one of 
whom had committed capital crimes, and was 
condemned to die; the other, who had lost a 
hand in the defence of his country, rushed 
into the court, and without uttering a word 
presented the mutilated limb, at the sight of 
which the judges were so affected by the re¬ 
membrance of his former services as freely 
for his sake to pardon the guilty brother. 
Thus our Divine Redeemer appearing before 
the throne as “ a lamb that had been slain,” 
still bearing the scars of his fearful agony, 
silently yet effectually presents to his Father 
the sufferings he formerly endured, and asks 
the pardon of the guilty only for the sake of 
his own meritorious sacrifice. Every wound 
he received in his sacred body by the nails 


90 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


and the spear pleads aloud for every peni¬ 
tent : 

“ Forgive him, oh forgive! they cry, 

Nor let that ransomed sinner die!” 

But why is not man saved solely on ac¬ 
count of what Christ has already done ? 
Why require his continual mediation and in¬ 
tercession ? It certainly cannot be to make 
God acquainted with our wants, or to dispose 
him to confer the blessings purchased by the 
sacrifice of the cross. It is rather to impress 
us the more deeply with his infinite majesty 
and purity, with the grace and condescension 
of the Redeemer, and with the guilt and un¬ 
worthiness of man. The angels in heaven, 
having never fallen under condemnation, 
probably approach God without the inter¬ 
vention of a mediator; but it would be alto¬ 
gether unbecoming to allow this privilege to 
sinful man. As a sinner he merits nothing 
but evil. Whatever blessings, therefore, he 
receives, must flow to him solely through the 
atonement and mediation of Christ. No man 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 91 

cometli to the Father but by the Son. 
Through him we have access by one Spirit 
unto the Father. Thus, while we are en¬ 
couraged to draw nigh to God with confi¬ 
dence, we are also taught to approach him 
with reverence and humility. Conscious of 
our guilt and defilement, we should hardly 
venture to lift up our eyes to the unspotted 
throne of heaven, were it not for the assur- 
rance that that throne has been sprinkled 
with the blood of atonement, and that there 
stands before it one who pleads his own merits 
in our behalf. 

The intercession of Christ is 'perpetual and 
eternal. We need it always, and we shall 
need it for ever. Hence it is said, “ He ever 
liveth to make intercession for us.” All the 
blessings that believers receive in this life, 
and all that they will receive in the life to 
come, must flow to them through the merits 
of the Redeemer. Though at the end of 
time Christ will deliver up the kingdom to 
the Father—will cease to act as a Saviour in 


92 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


reference to any who may yet be found in their 
sins—yet it is highly probable that he will 
continue to act as Mediator in behalf of his 
redeemed people during the ages of eternity, 
every new favor conferred upon them spring¬ 
ing from his atoning sacrifice, and bestowed 
in consequence of his continued intercession. 
“ The perpetuity of heavenly blessings and 
the acceptance of celestial services must all 
be traced to this source. Not a ray of light, 
not a smile of favor, not a thrill of gladness, 
not a note of joy, for which the inhabitants of 
heaven are not indebted to the angel standing 
with the golden censer, full of incense, before 
the throne. Remove this illustrious person¬ 
age from his situation, divest him of his offi¬ 
cial character, put out of view his sacerdotal 
function, and all security for the continuance 
of celestial benefits is gone—the crowns fall 
from the heads of the redeemed, the palms 
of victory drop from their hands, the harps 
of gold are unstrung and the shouts of halle¬ 
lujah cease for ever; nay, heaven must dis- 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 93 

charge itself of its human inhabitants, and 
the whole be sent away into irremediable per¬ 
dition ! But no such appalling catastrophe 
need ever be feared; Christ ever liveth to 
make intercession.” How constantly will 
the redeemed thus be reminded of their obli¬ 
gations to the exalted Redeemer, and with 
what gratitude will they celebrate the praise 
of Him to whom they are indebted for their 
deliverance from all the evils in which they 
w T ere once involved, and all the felicity which 
they will continue to enjoy throughout their 
endless existence! 

For whom does Jesus intercede? As nu¬ 
merous blessings are conferred upon all men 
in consequence of his mediation, there must 
be a sense in which his intercession includes 
the whole human race. Hence he is said to 
make u intercession for the transgressors,” to 
have “ received gifts for the rebellious.” 
Our existence in the present world, the 
bounties of Divine Providence, a period of 
gracious reprieve and probation, the offer of 


94 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


pardon and the influence of the Holy Spirit 
in convincing men of sin are all the result 
of a Saviour’s sacrifice and pleadings. It 
was through the intercession of the vine¬ 
dresser that the barren tree was permitted to 
stand; and it is only on account of the great 
Advocate on high that the life of the trans¬ 
gressor is spared a single moment. While 
Justice cries aloud, “ Cut him down; why 
cumbereth he the ground?” bleeding Mercy 
pleads, “ Spare him! oh spare him, that he 
may yet bring forth fruit!’’ 

u Kindled his relentings are, 

Me he still delights to spare; 

Cries, ‘ How shall I give thee up ?’ 

Lets the lifted thunder drop.” 

How much, then, is this world, how much 
is each impenitent man indebted to Christ! 
But for his interposition not a single favor 
would descend upon us from heaven. Noth¬ 
ing but his mediation preserves the sinner 
from instant perdition. It is by his death 
you live, and from his blood-stained cross you 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 95 

derive every blessing that distinguishes you 
from the apostate spirits of heaven, who are 
shut up under chains of everlasting darkness. 

The intercession of Christ includes es¬ 
pecially all true believers. For them he 
pleads in a sense that he does not for the 
world, and for favors which the world can¬ 
not receive. Hence the special objects of his 
intercession are said to be “ those who be¬ 
lieve in him through the word ; those whom 
the Father hath given him; those who come 
unto God by him ; for all saints.” 

Jesus prays for his Church universal, and 
he prays for each individual member. u I 
have prayed for thee,” said he to Peter, 
“ that thy faith fail not;” and thus he con¬ 
tinues to pray for every tempted believer. 
The names of all his people are written be¬ 
fore him. He fully understands their indi¬ 
vidual cases, their wants, their conflicts and 
their trials, and he pleads for such communi¬ 
cations of grace as will meet their peculiar 
circumstances. 


96 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


And this suggests another important in¬ 
quiry : For what does Jesus intercede? He 
pleads for our free justification; for “ if any 
man sin we have an advocate with the Father, 
Jesus Christ the righteous.” “ Being justified 
freely by the redemption which is in Christ 
Jesus.” He pleads not only for the accept¬ 
ance of our persons, but also of our services. 
Not a prayer do we offer but is heard solely 
on account of a Saviour’s intercession ; so that 
we may well cry with the ancient Church : 
“ O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; 
Give ear, O God of Jacob. Behold, O God 
our shield, and look upon the face of thine 
Anointed.” “ In him we have boldness and 
access with confidence.” When the apostle 
exhorts us to “ come boldly to the throne of 
grace,” it is in view of the fact that we have 
a great High Priest who is passed into the 
heavens, and appears before God for us. 

In the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel 
of John we have a record of a remarkable 
intercessory prayer that Jesus offered as his 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 97 

eventful life was drawing to a close. Regard¬ 
ing this prayer as a specimen of his interces¬ 
sion in heaven, w T e may here learn for what 
he still continues his plea in our behalf: 

He pleads for our 'progressive sanctification: 
“ Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word 
is truth.” 

He pleads for our preservation and final 
perseverance: “ Holy Father, keep through 
thine own name those whom thou hast given 
me. I pray not that thou shouldst take them 
out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep 
them from the evil.” 

He prays for the unity of the Church and 
the consummation of the work of redemption : 
u That they all (who believe) may be one; as 
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that 
they also may be one in us; that the world 
may believe that thou hast sent me.” 

He pleads for the eternal glorification of the 
saints: “ Father, I will that they whom thou 
hast given me be with me where I am, that 
they may behold my glory.” 


98 THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 

Thus Jesus pleads; nor does he plead in 
vain. The prayers of the best men are some¬ 
times unavailing. They may ask for things 
which it may be inconsistent with the will of 
God to bestow, or for things right in them¬ 
selves from wrong motives. Not so with the 
petitions of Christ. He asks for nothing but 
what his Father has promised, and for which 
he has not paid the price of his precious 
blood. His petitions are all based on his 
atonement; and if the Father has accepted 
the one, he cannot deny the other. “ I know,” 
said he, “that thou hearest me always.” 
“ The Father lovetli the Son and hath given 
all things into his hand.” “Thou hast given 
him his heart’s desire, and hast not with- 
holden the request of his lips.” 

How replete with encouragement and con¬ 
solation is this to the believer! In your 
spiritual conflicts you are not alone. While 
you have the sympathy and prayers of all 
your companions in tribulation, you have also 
the continued intercession of your exalted Ke- 


JESUS AN INTERCEDING SAVIOUR. 99 

deemer. He knows all your wants, and is 
ever ready to afford you relief. With such 
a Friend, such an Advocate, what have you 
to fear? In his hands you are safe. If 
Jesus lives, you shall live with him. His 
counsels of mercy are not to be defeated, his 
earnest pleadings are not to be denied. Com¬ 
mit your cause, then, to him in full confidence. 
“ If,” says McCheyne, “ I could hear Christ 
praying for me in the next room, I would not 
fear a million of enemies; yet the distance 
makes no difference—he is praying for me.” 
Dwell, believer, on the animating thought— 
Christ prays for you ! It is a great privilege 
to be remembered in prayer by Christian 
friends; but what a privilege to have an in¬ 
terest in the prayers of Christ! No sooner 
do the petitions drop from your lips than 
they are taken up by him, and urged with 
increased importunity before the eternal 
throne. While you are pouring out your 
heart before him, the voice of his blood cries 
aloud, “ Deliver him from going down to the 


100 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


pit, for I have found a ransom. Hear, O my 
Father, the suppliant’s prayer—not for his 
sake, but. for my sake. I have redeemed 
him ; behold, he is mine!” 

How eager should we all be to secure an 
interest in the' Saviour’s intercession! How 
much do we all need such an Advocate! 
Nothing but a believing apprehension of 
him in this character can bring to the mind 
true and solid peace. How, dear reader, can 
you appear before the throne of heaven with¬ 
out a Mediator? Will you plead your own 
cause? Will any creature step in between 
you and your offended God, and avert im¬ 
pending vengeance? Oh, commit your cause 
to the great Advocate, and do it now ; now, 
while his blood yet speaks in your behalf; 
now, while the throne of grace is yet ac¬ 
cessible. You may delay too long—delay 
until the day of reprieve and mercy closes, 
and there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin. 


CHAPTER VII. 

THE SALVATION OF AES US A FREE GIFT. 

“ Ye nothing in exchange can give, 

Leave all ye have and are behind; 

Freely the gift of God receive, 

Pardon and peace in Jesus find.” 

<®ND what say the Scriptures ?—“ Ho, 
QgX every one that thirsteth ! Come ye to 
the waters; and he that hath no money; 
come ye, buy and eat! Yea come, buy wine 
and milk without money and without price!” 
Isa. lv. 1. “Thus saith the Lord, ye have 
sold yourselves for naught, and ye shall be 
redeemed without money.” Isa. lii. 3. “ I 

will give unto him that is athirst of the 
fountain of the water of life freely.” Rev. 
xxi. 6. “ Whosoever will, let him take the 

water of life freely.” Rev. xxi. 17. Freely — 
9 * 101 


302 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


that is, gratuitously, without purchase, with¬ 
out any equivalent in return—a favor wholly 
unmerited. 

The salvation of the Gospel is, indeed, a 
blood-bought salvation. But in imparting 
this salvation to man it is conferred as a free 
gift. Man has no claim on God for it; he 
might justly be excluded from it; he can do 
nothing to merit it, nothing to put God under 
any obligation to bestow it. 

Salvation through Christ must exclude the 
idea of salvation by human works and merit. 
Jesus is not half a Saviour. The honor ean- 

t 

not be divided between him and another. 
He must have all or none. His atonement 
is complete. Nothing can be added to it, 
nothing taken from it. He offered himself 
“ once for all.” “ By one offering he hath 
perfected for ever them that are sanctified.” 
There can be no greater dishonor rendered to 
him than an attempt to unite his merits with 
ours. It is a virtual denial of the efficacy of 
his sacrifice, and a vain attempt to do that 


SALVATION OF JESUS A FREE GIFT. 103 

for ourselves which he has effectually done 
for us. “ If righteousness come by the law, 
then Christ is dead in vain.” Gal. ii. 21. No 
matter whether it be the ceremonial or the 
moral law, if man can be justified by obe¬ 
dience to that law, then the atonement of 
Christ was unnecessary; then the Son of God 
had no need to interpose in our behalf; then 
the agony of Gethsemane and the torture of 
the cross might have been spared, and the 
whole scheme of redemption is utterly with¬ 
out significance or force. 

Why did Jesus become “our righteous¬ 
ness,” if our own righteousness will avail for 
our justification? Why did he become our 
“ surety,” if we can pay the debt due to Di¬ 
vine justice? AVhy did he become our 
“ ransom,” if we can purchase our own free¬ 
dom ? 

In the religion of sinners, Christ must 
be all, or he must be nothing. There is 
salvation in him, and in him alone. Who 
would rob him of his glory? Who would 


104 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


join his own name with the “ Name which 
is above every name” in the song of Re¬ 
demption ? 

The fact, too, that salvation is the fruit of 
grace must entirely preclude human merit. 
“ The grace of God bringeth salvation.” 
“ By grace are ye saved.” “ Where sin 
abounded, grace did much more abound.” 
“ By the grace of God I am what I am.” 

By this grace is to be understood the free, 
unmerited favor of God, flowing to us through 
a Mediator—favor extended to the guilty, 
the miserable, the needy, the unworthy. 
Grace concerted the plan of human redemp¬ 
tion ; grace laid help on One who is “ mighty 
to save;” grace makes to man the tender of 
pardon; grace awakens him from the deep 
slumber of sin, and inclines him to accept the 
provisions of the Gospel; grace remits his 
sins, restores him to the Divine favor, sus¬ 
tains him in all his conflicts, and opens to 
him the portals of celestial bliss. Our justi¬ 
fication, sanctification, preservation and glori- 


SALVATION OF JESUS A FREE GIFT. 105 

fication are all ascribed to the free and sover¬ 
eign grace of God. 

Where, then, is there any room for human 
merit? That which is bestowed on man as 
a mere favor, he surely cannot claim as a 
matter of justice; that which is a free gift is 
surely not to be bought with a price : “ If by 
grace, then it is no more of works; other¬ 
wise grace is no more grace.” “ To him that 
worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, 
but of debt.” 

In the most positive terms the Scriptures 
have declared the utter impossibility of salva- 
'tion by works. “By the deeds of the law 
there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.” 
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justi¬ 
fied by faith, without the deeds of the law.” 
The grand design of Paul in his Epistle to 
the Homans, as well as in that to the Gala¬ 
tians, is to establish this most important truth 
—justification not by obedience to the law, 
but by faith in the atonement of Christ. 
These two methods of justification can in no 


106 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


way be united. Man must be justified either 
on the ground of his own righteousness or 
the righteousness of the Redeemer. “ By the 
Law is the knowledge of sin;” by the Gospel 
only is there remission of sin. 

The very instrumentality or means by which 
salvation is obtained evinces man’s entire 
indebtedness to the merits of the Saviour. 
This, as we have just stated, is not works, 
but simple faith. “ To him that worketh 
not, but believeth in him that justifieth 
the ungodly, his faith is counted for right¬ 
eousness.” “ Therefore it is of faith, that it 
might be of grace.” However indispensable 
this faith is, it is far from possessing any¬ 
thing meritorious. We are justified not for 
our faith, but by our faith. Faith is simply 
the arms that receive Christ; the hand that 
lays hold on Christ; the eye that looks to 
Christ; the feet that flee to Christ. It is 
the very nature of faith to lead us away from 
dependence upon ourselves, and to trust to 
the merits of the Saviour. It is not faith in 


SALVATION OF JESUS A FREE GIFT. 107 

our own righteousness, but in his. While 
we feel that there is no help in ourselves, we 
feel that there is help in him. 

“ Nothing in my hands I bring— 

Simply to thy cross I cling.” 

Look at the former character and condition 
of those who are made the heirs of salvation. 
What can we find here that should render 
them deserving of such a rich favor ? Un¬ 
godly, unjust, unrighteous, unclean, without 
God, without strength, sold under sin, dead 
in sin, wretched, and miserable, and poor, and 
blind, and naked. What claim can such have 
on God for salvation? What claim had Saul 
of Tarsus, the blasphemer and persecutor? 
What claim had the dying malefactor ? What 
claim had John Bunyan or John Newton? 
What claim had any of the blood-washed 
throng around the throne of God and of the 
Lamb ? Their recommendation was not their 
worthiness, but their misery. “ God, who is 
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith 


108 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


he loved us, even when we were dead in 
sins, hath quickened us together with 
Christ.” 

What an exalted idea do the views here 
presented give us of the importance of salva¬ 
tion ! We are told of an ancient artist, who, 
though he bestowed immense labor on every 
one of his productions, always gave them 
away; and when asked the reason, he re¬ 
plied, “ They are above all price.” Just so 
we may say of the salvation of Christ —it is 
above all price. We can render no equivalent 
for it. All that is required is that we re¬ 
ceive the gift with gratitude and praise. 

At what price shall we purchase the pre¬ 
cious boon? Shall we offer to God our 
wealth? That is already his. We have 
nothing but what we have received from 
him. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the 
fullness thereof.” Shall we offer to him our 
works of righteousness ? All our righteous¬ 
ness is as filthy rags. After we have done 
all, we are unprofitable servants. u Where- 


SALVATION OF JESUS A FREE GIFT. 109 

with then shall we come before the Lord, and 
bow ourselves before the most high God? 
Shall we come before him with burnt-offer¬ 
ings, with calves of a year old ? Will the 
Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or 
with ten thousand of rivers of oil ? Shall we 
give our first-born for our transgression, the 
fruit of our body for the sin of our soul ?” 
All, all, is too poor. No blood of slaughtered 
animals, no pilgrimages to distant lands, no 
good deeds, no religious observances, no labor, 
toil, stripes or sufferings, can atone for sin, or 
purchase for us an interest in the atonement 
made on the cross of Calvary. 

If salvation bestowed thus freely tends to 
exalt God, how is it calculated, at the same 
time, to humble man ! He needs to be thus 
humbled. Pride is one of the most promi¬ 
nent and hateful features in his fallen nature. 
He is proud even in his apostasy—proud of 
his rags, glorying in his very shame. Uni¬ 
versally men are prone to trust for salvation 
to something in themselves. Being ignorant 
10 


110 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


of God’s righteousness, they go about to es¬ 
tablish a righteousness of their own. Instead 
of coming to God as debtors, they come as 
claimants. But man is a complete bankrupt. 
He has “ nothing to pay” (Luke vii. 42); 
and if released from the claims of justice, it 
must be by a free forgiveness. No distinc¬ 
tions of wealth, rank, power, learning, beauty, 
amiableness or correctness of deportment can 
furnish the least title to salvation. “ If any 
other man,” says Paul, “ thinketh that he 
hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I 
more. But what things were gain to me, 
those I counted loss for Christ; yea doubt¬ 
less, I count all things but loss for the ex¬ 
cellency of the knowledge of Christ my 
Lord.” 

Why should man object to a salvation 
offered to him so freely? Are not the terms 
just suited to his case? He has nothing to 
pay, and the Gospel demands nothing. 
Guilty and condemned sinner who may read 
these pages, come to Jesus just as you are; 


SALVATION OF JESUS A FREE GIFT. Ill 

11 Come wretched, come guilty, come just as you are— 
All helpless and dying to Jesus repair.” 

“But is there no good work to be per¬ 
formed previously?” None at all. Good 
works follow but do not precede faith. We 
are “created in Christ Jesus unto good 
works.” 

“ But is there no qualification necessary to 
fit me to come to Christ?” None but to 
feel your need of him. “ The Son of man 
came to seek and to save that which is lost.” 
Do you feel yourself to be thus lost, sinful, 
perishing, helpless ? Then come; come stript 
of all self-dependence; come with full con¬ 
fidence in a Saviour’s grace and power, and 
know from this hour the blessedness of the 
man to whom the Lord “ imputeth righteous¬ 
ness without works.” 

“ Venture on him, venture freely— 

Let no other trust intrude.” 

Venture? Oh no; here is no venture, no 
doubt, no uncertainty. “When,” says Simp- 


112 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


son, author of the “ Plea for Religion/’ “ I 
consider the infinite dignity and all-suffi¬ 
ciency of Christ, I am ashamed to talk of 
venturing on him. Oh! had I ten thousand 
souls, I would at this moment cast them all 
into his hands with the utmost confidence.” 




CHAPTER VIII. 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 

“ Love’s redeeming work is done ; 

Come and welcome, sinner, come.” 

(^ONE who believe in the divinity and 
0 ^) the atonement of Christ can question 
his ability to save. But is he as willing as 
he is able ? May a poor sinner apply to him 
for salvation without any fear of repulse and 
disappointment? During his sojourn on 
earth, some who had full confidence in his 
willingness to relieve them seem to have 
questioned his ability; while others who en¬ 
tertained no doubt of his ability seem to have 
questioned his willingness. “If thou canst 
do anything,” said one, “ have compassion on 
us, and help us.” “ Lord,” said another, “if 
thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” 

Jesus is both able and willing to save. 

10 * 113 


114 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


His grace is fully equal to his power. What 
mean his invitations f Why does he invite 
men to be saved if he is not willing to save 
them ? What are his invitations but the 
sincere expressions of his will ? “ These 

things,” said he to the gainsaying Jews, “ I 
say that ye might be saved.” How tender 
and how earnest the invitations which he 
addresses to the needy and the perishing!— 
“ Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends 
of the earth; for I am God, and there is none 
else.” “ Come unto me, all ye that labor and 
are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” 
“ In the last day, that great day of the feast, 
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man 
thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” 

What mean his promises f Not only does 
he invite sinners to him, but he assures them 
of the most cordial reception : “ Him that 
cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out” 
—in no vnse y on no account, for no reason, at 
no time, in no manner, shall he be rejected. 
The promise is as general as it is explicit and 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 


115 


positive. No matter who the individual may 
be, or what he may be—high or low, rich or 
poor, moral or immoral—in no wise shall he 
be cast out. Not only shall he not be re¬ 
jected, but he shall be kindly welcomed— 
welcomed to a Saviour’s friendship, wel¬ 
comed to all the blessings of his redemption. 

Is not this enough ? Can any distrust 
the word of such a Saviour—one so “ full of 
grace and truth”—one whose promise has 
never failed, and who is “ the same yesterday, 
and to-day, and for ever?” 

What mean, too, his earnest pleadings and 
expostulations f He does not merely call you 
to him, but he entreats, he urges you to come. 
He does not merely tender to you salvation, 
but he presses it upon your acceptance as 
though he would take no denial. 

“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; 
if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I 
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and 
he with me.” How long has he stood at the 
door of some hearts ! How repeated his calls, 


116 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


and how loud and earnest! He waits to be 
gracious, and is reluctant to abandon even 
the most incorrigible. 

Still more, he utters the most affecting 
complaints when men refuse the offer of his 
grace: “ All day long I have stretched forth 
my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying 
people.” “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! thou 
that killest the prophets, and stonest them 
which are sent unto thee! how often would I 
have gathered thy children together, even as 
a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, 
and ye would not!” Nothing affords him 
more joy than the acceptance of his purchased 
salvation—nothing more grief than its rejec¬ 
tion. 

Consider the gracious character of this 
Saviour. Where can be found such love as 
that which dwells in the heart once pierced 
with a soldier’s spear ? It has been truly 
said, “ Jesus Christ was an incarnation of 
love in our world. He was love living, 
breathing, speaking, acting amongst men. 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 


117 


His birth was the nativity of love; his ser¬ 
mons the words of love; his miracles the 
wonders of love; his tears the meltings of 
love; his crucifixion the agonies of love; his 
resurrection the triumphs of love.” 

What was the design of his mission to our 
world f Was it not to “seek and to save 
that which is lost?” Was it not for this 
that he left his throne of glory and assumed 
our humanity? Was it not for this that he 
lived, suffered and died ? He came into the 
world, “not to condemn the world, but that 
the world, through him, might be saved.” 
And is he still unwilling to save—unwilling 
to perform the very work for which he made 
such a sacrifice ? Why, then, did he submit 
to such privations and sufferings ? Why did 
he drink the bitter cup of sorrow? Why 
deliver himself up for our ransom? Is not 
his name Jesus —Saviour? Has he made an 
^atonement for sin, and will he not now rejoice 
when that atonement is received and applied? 
Did he come in pursuit of his wandering 


118 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


sheep, and will he not, when he finds them, 
welcome them to his fold? Fix your eye 
upon yonder cross, and hear him as he speaks 
to thee, trembling sinner, in thy unbelief: 
“ Look here, thou doubting one! What mean 
these wounds, these agonies ? For whom do 
I suffer this but for thee ? I saw thee wel¬ 
tering in thy blood, a wretched outcast from 
heaven. I saw thee in all thy helplessness 
and misery, and what thou couldst not do for 
thyself I have done for thee. The sword 
that would have entered into thy bosom has 
penetrated mine. Wherefore, then, dost thou 
doubt ? 


“ Thy sins I bore on Calvary’s tree, 

The stripes thy due were laid on me, 
That peace and pardon might be free— 
O wretched sinner, come. 


“ Come, leave thy burden at the cross; 
Count all thy gains but empty dross; 
My grace repays all earthly loss— 

O needy sinner, come. 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 


119 


“ Come, hither bring thy boding fears 
Thy aching heart, thy bursting tears; 

’Tis Mercy’s voice salutes thine ears, 

O trembling sinner, come.” 

Head now the history of his eventful life 
while he dwelt on the earth. Whom did he 
repel from his feet ? What cry of distress did 
he shut out from his ear? What penitent 
did he turn away without the assurance of 
pardon? His enemies charged him with 
being “the Friend of sinners;” and such, in¬ 
deed, he truly was. With sinners he min¬ 
gled ; to sinners he preached ; for sinners he 
died. “ He came not to call the righteous, 
but sinners to repentance.” “ He had ears 
only for one sound, and that was the sound 
occasioned by sin; the voice of penitence im¬ 
ploring forgiveness; the voice of conscious 
guilt, deprecating the vengeance of eternal 
fire. He had eyes only for one sight—a 
wilderness of woe, a captive world chained 
to the wheels of the great enemy, and already 
arrived at the gloomy precincts of hell. He 


120 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


had tears but for one object, and he wept 
over lost souls.” 

If in any instance—as with the Syrophoeni- 
cian woman—he kept the suppliant in sus¬ 
pense, it was not because his heart was void 
of sympathy, but because he would afford 
deliverance at the best time and in the best 
manner. Do you see that downcast one as 
she lies at his feet, washing them with her 
tears and wiping them with the locks of her 
hair? Did he bid her depart? Did he tell 
her that her guilt was too aggravated to be 
forgiven? “Woman,” said he, “thy faith 
hath saved thee; go in peace.” 

Did you hear that imploring cry ?—“ Jesus, 
thou Son of David, have mercy on me !” The 
disciples would have hushed that voice, but 
there was an ear upon which it had fallen 
like music. “ What wilt thou,” said Jesus, 
“ that I shall do unto thee ?” “ Lord, that I 
may receive my sight;” and immediately his 
sightless eyeballs are open, and his heart 
bounds with joy. 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 


121 


Behold another instance of his matchless 
grace. On yonder cross hangs a sinner on 
the very borders of perdition. The heart 
once obdurate is suddenly melted to peni¬ 
tence, and the plaintive cry drops from those 
lips: “Lord Jesus, remember me when thou 
comest in thy kingdom;” and no sooner is 
the prayer offered than it is answered : “ To¬ 
day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” 

Is there further proof required of the will¬ 
ingness of Christ to save ? Let our appeal, 
then, be to the actual experience of all who 
have trusted in him for salvation. What a 
cloud of witnesses are ready to testify both to 
his grace and his power! Among “ the great 
multitude” around the throne may be found 
sinners of every grade and order. There is 
scarcely a crime which some of them had not 
committed, and which the blood of Jesus did 
not effectually cancel. A bloody Manasseh, 
a Mary Magdalene, a blaspheming Peter, a 
persecuting Saul, the unclean and idolatrous 
Corinthians,—all proved the same precious 
11 


122 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


atonement, and bear their testimony to its 
wondrous power. 

And where is the believer on earth who is 
not ready to bear the same testimony ? Call 
to remembrance the time when, burdened with 
sin, you sent up your imploring prayer for 
mercy. Did the Friend of sinners bid you 
hush that cry ? Did he disregard your tears? 
Did he tell you that your case was beyond 
the reach of his promised grace ? Hear the 
testimony of a young woman who had felt 
the joy of pardoned sin. As the Dev. Wil¬ 
liam Jay attended her dying bed, she thus 
addressed him: “ I have little to relate as 

to my experience. I have been much tried 
and tempted; but this is my sheet-anchor. 
He has said, ‘ He that cometh to me, I will 
in no wise cast out.’ I know I come to him, 
and I expect him to be as good as his word. 
Poor and unworthy as I am, he will not 
trifle with me, it would be beneath his great¬ 
ness. I am at his feet. As you have often 
said: 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 


123 


t 

ft 

‘ ’Tis joy enough, my All-in-all, 

At thy dear feet to lie; 

Thou wilt not let me lower fall, 

And none can higher fly.’ ” 

Speak, ye spirits in despair! Who among 
you sought mercy at the appointed time, and 
found it not? Who among you cast your¬ 
selves in penitence at a Saviour’s feet and 
were repulsed? Go, dear reader, and pour 
out your oppressed spirit to him, and if you 
perish, you will be the first who perished 
pleading for pardon. 

Why not, then, come to Jesus? Why not 
test his promise? Why not entrust your 
salvation to his hands? Profane sinner, 
come ! Self-righteous sinner, come! Young 
sinner, come! Old sinner, come ! Chief of sin¬ 
ners, come! 

“ My case,” you say, “ is peculiar. I have 
been the vilest of the vile. I shudder as I 
think of the crimes of which I am guilty. 
Can God save a wretch like me?” 

Listen—what means that declaration: “ The 


124 


THE SAVIOUR WE HEED. 


blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin?” 
—all sin, all manner of sin, all degrees of sin. 
Why, then, may it not avail for thee ? The 
greater your sins, the greater your need of a 
Saviour. Who were they that Christ wel¬ 
comed to him while he was on earth ? Pub¬ 
licans and sinners—the outcasts, the aban¬ 
doned and degraded met with just as cordial 
a reception as the most respectable and moral. 
It is not the aggravation of your sins that 
will exclude you from salvation, but your 
persevering impenitence and unbelief. 

“ I would,” says a certain writer, “ rather 
believe that were God creating a new system, 
like the solar system, of which we form a 
part, and were a sinner to send up a cry for 
mercy, that could he not attend to the two 
things at once, he would stop the work of 
creation till he had saved the sinner.” You 
need not fear that such a case will ever occur. 
Man can commonly do but one thing at a 
time, but God can do a thousand things at 
the same instant. While he creates he can 


WELCOME TO JESUS. 


125 


redeem. While he listens to the hallelujahs 
of seraphs he can bow his ear to the cry of 
the penitent. 

Will you then come to Jesus , and come now? 
His arms this moment are wide open to em¬ 
brace you—why not rush to him for protec¬ 
tion ? Come with all your blindness, your 
guilt, your defilement, your unworthiness, 
your misery, and he who has wounded will 
also heal; he who has caused you to taste 
the wormwood and the gall, will also cause 
you to taste the sweetness of redeeming love. 

11 * 



CHAPTER IX. 


JESUS A FEES ENT SAVIOUR. 

“I looked for hell—He brought me heaven: 

‘ Cheer up, desponding soul/ he said, 

‘ Thy sins are all forgiven !’ 

‘What! mef ‘Yes, thee: 

I’ll give thee pardon full and free.’ ” 



HERE are few men who do not hope 


to be saved—if not in this world, cer¬ 
tainly in the world to come. The only 
idea which they seem to attach to the word 
salvation is, deliverance from future misery 
and the enjoyment of future happiness. Sal¬ 
vation as a present blessing, a gift now within 
their reach, hardly enters their minds. 

But if men are not saved in time, it is cer¬ 
tain they cannot be saved in eternity. All 
who are admitted to heaven are “ afore pre- 


126 


JESUS A PRESENT SAVIOUR. 127 

pared unto glory.” “Now he that hath 
wrought us for the self-same thing is God, 
who also hath given unto us the earnest of 
the Spirit.” “ Giving thanks unto the 
Father, who hath made us meet to be par¬ 
takers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light.” The “great multitude,” whom John 
saw before the throne, had all washed their 
robes and made them white in the blood of 
the Lamb here on earth. If their salvation 
was completed in heaven, it was commenced 
on earth. 

Salvation is tendered to man as a present 
blessing. As such it is already provided, 
and as such it may now be secured. “ Be¬ 
hold, now is the accepted time; behold, now 
is the day of salvation.” An all-sufficient 
atonement has been made; the claims of the 
violated law have been fully met, and on the 
part of God every obstruction has been re¬ 
moved to the free communication of his grace. 
“ God is in Christ reconciling the world unto 
himself;” and now, as ambassadors for Christ, 


128 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


we are sent to beseech men to become recon¬ 
ciled to God. 

The feast of love is spread, and the kind 
invitation has gone forth, “Come, for all 
things are now ready.” All that man can 
need, all that man can desire, is freely ten¬ 
dered for his present acceptance. A throne 
of grace, sprinkled with atoning blood, is ac¬ 
cessible, and the most unworthy may ap¬ 
proach with the fullest assurance. The 
eternal Father waits to clasp the returning 
prodigal; the Saviour waits to plead your 
cause; the Holy Spirit waits to seal you unto 
the day of redemption; the hosts of heaven 
wait to sound their notes of praise over your 
repentance ; the Church of God waits to wel¬ 
come you to her fellowship and privileges. 

All that is now required is simply your 
consent to be saved. You may believe in 
Christ for salvation now; lay hold on the 
hope set before you now. Why need you 
wait a single moment, when God has so long 
been waiting for you ? What is to be gained 


JESUS A PRESENT SAVIOUR. 129 

by this delay ? What are you waiting for ? 
The kingdom of God is brought nigh to you; 
why not now enter and be numbered with its 
happy subjects ? 

Not only is salvation offered as a present 
blessing, but as such it has by vast numbers 
been actually received. To the Romans it 
was said: “ Being then made free from sin, 
ye became the servants of righteousnessto 
the Ephesians: “ You hath he quickened 
who were dead in trespasses and sinsto 
the Corinthians: “ Ye are washed, ye are 
sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the 
Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 
to Timothy: “Who hath saved us, and 
called us with a holy calling f to Titus: 
“Not by works of righteousness which w T e 
have done, but according to his mercy, he 
saved us, by the washing of regeneration and 
renewing of the Holy Ghost.” 

Now all this, let it be observed, is spoken 
of as a present attainment—this quickening, 
this reconciliation, this spiritual renovation 


130 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


as already enjoyed. And what is thus af¬ 
firmed of these early disciples may be af¬ 
firmed of all believers in every subsequent 
age of the world. To all the Gospel has 
proved itself to be “ the power of God unto 
salvation/’ “ He that believeth on the Son 
hath everlasting life.” It is his the very mb> 
ment he believes. 

When was it that Zaccheus became the 
heir of salvation ? On the very day he ob¬ 
tained a sight of Jesus, and received him into 
his house. When was it that the jailer be¬ 
lieved and rejoiced in the salvation of God? 
In the same hour of the night, when, aroused 
from the slumber of sin, he asked, a What 
must I do to be saved ?” When was it that 
Peter and Andrew became the disciples of 
Jesus? "Straightway they left their nets 
and followed him.” When did the penitent 
thief receive the assurance that he would be 
with Christ in paradise? The moment he 
sent forth the plaintive cry, “Lord, remem¬ 
ber me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” 


JESUS A PRESENT SAVIOUR. 131 

When did the three thousand on the day of 
Pentecost gladly receive the word and become 
identified with the Church of God ? On the 
same occasion w r hen their hearts were pene¬ 
trated with conviction, and they were pointed 
to the Crucified One as their only deliverer. 
When was the heart of' Lydia opened to at¬ 
tend to the things pertaining to her eternal 
peace? While the servants of God were in¬ 
structing her in the truth as it is in Jesus. 

Is it urged that these conversions were 
extraordinary? No more so, we reply, than 
any other conversions. They were effected 
not by any miraculous influence, but just as 
the great change is effected now—by the power 
of God’s Spirit and truth. Such conversions 
are occurring daily. In times of religious re¬ 
vival it is not uncommon for conversion 
quickly to follow conviction. Under the 
same sermon the sinner has been brought to 
realize his lost condition and to rejoice in 
Christ as his Saviour. 

In Christ there is a present salvation from 


132 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


condemnation . “ Christ hath redeemed us 
from the curse of the law, being made a curse 
for us.” That curse, resting as it does in all 
its fearfulness upon the sinner, is effectually 
removed from the believer. The thunders 
of Sinai are hushed, the thick, dark cloud of 
wrath has vanished, and the rainbow appears 
in the heavens, smiling with hope and prom¬ 
ise. It matters not how numerous and how 
enormous are the sins with which the peni¬ 
tent may be charged; no sooner is the eye 
of his faith directed to the Lamb of God 
than he receives a free and full remission. 

“ The guilt of twice ten thousand years 
One moment takes away.” 

The exercise of faith on the part of the sin¬ 
ner, and the act of pardon on the part of God, 
are simultaneous. The acquittal of the be¬ 
liever at the bar of final judgment will be no 
new thing, but only the public proclamation 
of a pardon already received, and sealed upon 
his heart by the witness of the Holy Spirit. 


JESUS A PRESENT SAVIOUR. 133 

“ There is, therefore, now no condemnation 
to them who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Is this a reality or is it a dream? Can 
God by one act of grace thus blot out all the 
sins of our past life? He can, and he will 
do it with all who put their trust solely in 
the merits of the Redeemer. “ Who is a God 
like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity, and 
passeth by the transgression of the remnant 
of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger 
for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.” 

Mr. Spurgeon, in discoursing on the text, 
“ Look unto me, and be ye saved,” etc., Isa. 
xlv. 22, makes the following statement: “Six 
years ago to-day, as near as possible at this 
very hour of the day, I was in the gall of 
bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity, but 
had yet, by divine grace, been led to feel the 
bitterness of that bondage, and to cry out by 
reason of the soreness of its slavery. Seeking 
rest and finding none, I stepped within the 
house of God, and sat there, afraid to look 
upward, lest I should be utterly cut off, and 
12 


134 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


lest his fierce wrath should consume me. 
The minister rose in his pulpit, and, as I 
have done this morning, read this text, 

‘ Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends 
of the earth; for I am God, and there is none 
else/ I looked that moment; the grace of 
faith was vouchsafed to me in the selfsame 
instant, and now I think I can say with 
truth, 

‘ Ere since by faith I saw the stream 
Thy flowing wounds supply, 

Redeeming love has been my theme, 

And shall be till I die.’ 

“ I shall never forget that day while 
memory holds its place; nor can I help re¬ 
peating this text whenever I remember the 
hour when first I knew the Lord. How 
strangely gracious!” 

Not only is there in Christ a present sal¬ 
vation from condemnation, but also from sin. 
Believers are “created anew in Christ Jesus 
“ born of God “ renewed in the spirit of 
their minds“ made partakers of the Divine 


JESUS A PRESENT SAVIOUR. 135 


nature.” The proud become humble, the 
passionate meek, the selfish benevolent, the 
intemperate sober, the unclean chaste, the 
prayerless devout. Old things pass away, 
and all things become new. • 

How marvelous was the change which was 
wrought both in the unbelieving Jew and the 
idolatrous Pagan when the Gospel was first 
promulgated! What numbers, who had been 
slaves to the most degrading superstitions and 
vices, suddenly burst from their thraldom 
and sprang into “ the glorious liberty of the 
Son of God!” Justin Martyr, one of the 
early Fathers of the Church, in his Apologies 
for the Christians, says: “O Emperor, we 
who were formerly adulterers, are now chaste; 
we who used magic charms, now depend on 
the immortal God; we who loved money, 
now cheerfully contribute to the wants of all; 
we who would not sit down with those who 
were not of the same tribe, now cheerfully 
sit among and pray for the conversion of 
them that hate us, and persuade them to 


136 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


live according to the excellent precepts of 
Christ.” 

There is no form of iniquity that the grace 
of Christ cannot overcome. With the history 
of such men as'Augustine, Bunyan, Newton 
and Gardiner before us, who can question the 
power of that grace to meet the cases of the 
most abandoned and desperate ? Let us 
despair of none, and let none despair of them¬ 
selves, who will now repair to “ the Fountain 
opened for sin and uncleanness.” “ Sin shall 
not have dominion over you, for ye are not 
under law, but under grace.” The Gospel 
not only reforms, it regenerates; it not only 
changes the life, it purifies the heart; it not 
only wins from the practice of sin, it wins 
also from the love of sin. “ I will put my 
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in 
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments 
and do them.” 

Yes! there is such a thing as a present 
salvation! Witnesses innumerable can tes¬ 
tify to it from their own blessed experience. 


JESUS A PRESENT SAVIOUR. 137 

They know whom they have believed. They 
know that their character and their state have 
undergone a radical change. They are not 
what they desire to be, not what they hope to 
be; but they are not what they were once. 
With the apostle they can say, “ By the grace 
of God I am what I am.” 

To you, dear reader, is the word of salva¬ 
tion sent. Have you accepted its overtures ? 
I ask not whether you hope to be saved in 
death or in eternity; but are you saved now ? 
saved from sin and condemnation ? Have 
your feet been taken from “ the horrible pit 
and the miry clay,” and placed upon the Rock 
of Ages ? Have you peace with God—peace 
within ? Does the Holy Spirit bear witness 
with your spirit that you are a child of God 
and an heir of glory ? 

Have you still the sentence of death within 
your own breast ? Are you still burdened with 
guilt and trembling in view of impending 
wrath ? Let me then direct you to Him who 
alone can bring the needed relief to your op- 
12 * 


138 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


pressed and agitated spirit. “ But may I be 
saved now?” Yes, now. You need not wait 
a single moment. “ Vile and guilty as I am, 
it is too much to expect.” But it is not too 
much for a God of boundless mercy to bestow. 
Only believe, and you shall see his salvation. 
Drop at once upon your knees as an humble 
suppliant; sink at once at the foot of the 
cross, and let your earnest cry ascend, “ Lord 
save; I perish!” and He who calmed the 
raging tempest can in a moment bring peace 
to your breast. 



CHAPTER X 


JESUS A COMPLETE SAVIOUR. 

“ I cannot rest till in thy blood 
I full redemption have; 

But thou, through whom I come to God, 
Canst to the utmost save.” 





Ujf/ESUS saves to the uttermost. What he 


begins he finishes. His purpose never 


fails. His gifts and calling are without re¬ 
pentance. Whom he loves, he loves unto the 
end. When he gives grace, he also gives glory 
—the one being the harbinger and pledge of 
the other. Grace is the bud, glory the full¬ 
blown flower ; grace the first-fruits, glory the 
abundant harvest. Left to himself, the be¬ 
liever would not be safe a single moment. 
His heart is constantly prone to wander, and 
all his efforts to keep it would be unavailing, 
were he not kept by the power of God. 


139 


140 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


“ Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” 
Here is his security. It is not his feeble 
hold of Christ, but Christ’s strong hold of 
him, by which he is preserved. “ The eternal 
God is thy refuge, and underneath are the 
everlasting arms.” “ The Lord will preserve 
me unto his heavenly kingdom.” “ The steps 
of a good man are ordered by the Lord; 
though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast 
down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his 
hand.” 

In Christ we have complete justification . 
Justification is the opposite of condemnation. 
It is the reversal of that sentence under which 
man lies as a transgressor—pardon for all 
sin, and a restoration to the divine favor and 
friendship. Guilty as the sinner is in him¬ 
self, he is regarded and treated as just for 
the sake of Him who is “ the end of the law 
for righteousness to every one that believeth.” 
The absolution is not only instantaneous, but 
complete. He is justified from all things 
from which he could not be justified by the 


JESUS A COMPLETE SAVIOUR. 141 

law of Moses. He stands in the same posi¬ 
tion in regard to the penalty of the divine 
law as though he had never sinned. God is 
said to remember his sins no more —to cast 
them into the depths of the sea. 

A man becomes deeply convinced of sin. 
The flattering views which he once enter¬ 
tained of himself have all fled. He feels that 
he is guilty, and justly condemned. The 
long catalogue of his crimes lies open before 
him; and as he looks at their fearful number, 
his heart palpitates within him, and is ready 
to sink in despair. Not a single plea can he 
offer. Speechless he stands before God. His 
vain refuges have all vanished, and with the 
Psalmist he cries out, “ If thou, Lord, 
shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall 
stand ?” The law thunders its dreadful an¬ 
athemas, divine justice calls for his blood, 
and he can see no way in which sin can be 
pardoned, and yet the honor of God’s cha¬ 
racter and government can be secured. The 
glad announcement now meets him that there 


142 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


is One who has taken his place and suffered 
in his stead. The blood-stained cross appears 
in view. The eye of his faith is directed to¬ 
ward the expiring Victim. He hears the in¬ 
viting voice of the dying Redeemer, saying 
unto him, “Look and be saved. Trust in 
me and you shall never die.” “Lord,” he 
replies, “ I commit my all to thee, f I rest 
alone upon thy promise. I cling to thy cross 
as my only support.” And now the dark¬ 
ness that enshrouded his spirit is dispersed. 
He beholds a method by which God can be 
just and yet justify him that believeth. The 
burden of sin is gone, and no more shall he 
come under condemnation. 

True, he may still be called to drink the 
bitter cup of affliction, but now it becomes 
the cup of blessing. All things henceforth 
work for his good. The trials of life prove 
to him only a salutary discipline, fatherly 
chastisements, designed not for his destruc¬ 
tion, but for his salvation. 

In Christ we have also complete sanctified - 


JESUS A COMPLETE SAVIOUR. 143 

tion. Justification changes our state; sanc¬ 
tification, our character. The one delivers us 
from the penalty of the law; the other con¬ 
forms us to its precepts. The one secures us 
from the wrath of an offended God; the other 
restores us to his lost image. The one saves 
us from hell; the other fits us for heaven. 

As fallen beings we need both, for we are 
not only guilty, but also depraved; not only 
excluded from the favor of God, but totally 
unlike God, and unfit for communion with 
him. These ruined natures must be restored, 
these habits of evil must be subdued, or there 
can be no redemption. We need a Saviour 
who can save us from sin—the cause of all 
misery in this world and the world to come. 
Such a Saviour is Jesus. He “gave himself 
for us, that he might redeem us from all in¬ 
iquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar 
people, zealous of good works.” 

This spiritual renovation commences in re¬ 
generation, and is carried forward in its pro¬ 
gressive stages through the whole course of 


144 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


the Christian’s life on earth, terminating at 
last in the brightness of celestial purity. 
Both our justification and our sanctification 
are completed in Christ—the one instanta¬ 
neously; the other gradually. Justification 
at once and for ever delivers the believer from 
the curse of the law; sanctification is his con¬ 
tinual progress in holiness, the mortification 
and subjugation of his remaining corruption, 
and his growing conformity to the will and 
image of God. a We all with open face, be¬ 
holding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, 
are changed into the same image, from glory to 
glory.” 

The progress of grace in the renewed heart, 
though often apparently slow, is sure. First 
appears the blade, then the ear, and then the 
full corn in the ear. u Being confident of 
this very thing, that He who hath begun a 
good work in you will perform it until the 
day of Jesus Christ.” The whole Church of 
God will eventually be presented “ a glorious 
Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or 


JESUS A COMPLETE SAVIOUR. 145 

any such thing.” The spirits of just men in 
heaven are all “ made perfect.” The robes of 
all are washed and made white in the blood 
of the Lamb. 

How wonderful the transformation ! Think 
of what these glorified beings were once!— 
think of what they are now ! How deep the 
corruption from which they have been rescued ! 
how transcendent the glory to which they are 
exalted ! Not a vestige of their former sin¬ 
fulness remains. All shine in the perfect 
image of Jesus—all glow with celestial love 
and praise. 

Such is the hope set before us, such the 
heaven to which we look forward with un¬ 
utterable longings—a heaven of immaculate 
purity, a heaven of eternal fellowship with 
God and the Lamb. “ I shall be near and 
like my God.” Nothing short of this can 
ever satisfy the aspirations of the regenerated 
man. His treasure, his heart, his conversa¬ 
tion are in heaven. Sin is now his greatest 
burden, and never will his happiness be 
13 


146 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


complete until the last stain of sin is re¬ 
moved. 

The salvation of Christ will in all respects 
be complete, extending to man’s entire per¬ 
son of body and soul. Both are the purchase 
of a Saviour’s blood, and both shall at last 
be fully delivered from all the effects of the 
apostasy. We wait for the adoption—to wit, 
the redemption of our body. Not only shall 
this “ vile body” be raised, but renovated and 
vastly improved, fashioned like\into Christ’s 
glorious body, according to the working 
whereby he is able even to subdue all things 
unto himself. As we have borne the image 
of the earthly, we shall also bear the image 
of the heavenly. 

And now the former things have passed 
away. Physical evil, moral evil—sin and 
suffering of every kind and degree—will be 
for ever unknown. The redeemed shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any 
heat. God shall wipe away all tears from 


JESUS A COMPLETE SAVIOUK. 147 

tlieir eyes. How complete the deliver¬ 
ance ! All tears! Every source of grief 
will now be removed; and by whom? By 
the God of all consolation himself. Here we 
wipe away our tears, but they still flow; but 
now God himself will bring to us effectual 
relief. 

“ His own soft hand will wipe the tears 
From sorrow’s weeping eye, 

And pains and groans, and griefs and fears, 

And death itself shall die.” 

The salvation of Christ is an everlasting 
salvation. Once saved, we are saved for 
ever. Angels fell, the primitive pair fell, 
but not one of God’s ransomed people will 
ever fall. They will be confirmed both in 
holiness and happiness. Their sun shall no 
more go down; their crown shall never fade; 
their kingdom shall never be moved. The 
only change will be from glory to glory, from 
bliss to bliss. 

How glorious will be the triumph of the 
Son of God! Our lost Eden will be more 


148 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


than restored. In him we not only have life, 
but life more abundantly. 

Let the believer in Jesus thank God and 
take courage. Be thankful for the past, and 
take courage for the future. Glorious are the 
prospects that lie before you. Rich are the 
blessings which you have already received, 
but far richer those which are yet in reserve. 
u Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou 
hast laid up for them that fear thee!” 

Oh who, who would not be saved ? Who # 
can neglect a salvation so costly, so free, so 
great ? What is it man needs that may not 
be found in Christ? Do you need light? 

“ I am the light of the world; he that fol¬ 
io weth me shall not walk in darkness, but 
shall have the light of life.” Do you need 
pardon? “I, even I, am he that blotteth 
out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and 
will not remember thy sins.” Do you need 
righteousness ? “ Surely shall one say, In the 
Lord have I righteousness and strength.” 
Do you need purification ? “ The blood of 


JESUS A COMPLETE SAVIOUK. 149 


Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.” Do you 
need peace f “ Peace I leave with you, my 
peace I give unto you.” Do you need con¬ 
solation f “ As the sufferings of Christ 
abound in us, so our consolation also abound- 
eth by Christ.” Do you need grace to tri¬ 
umph over all your foes ? “ In all these 

things we are more than conquerors, through 
Him that loved us.” 

13 * 



CHAPTER XI. 


JESUS A COMMON SAVIOUR—SALVATION 
FREE TO ALL. 


“ Come, all the world, come, sinner thou— 

All things in Christ are ready now.” 

. HY do any of the human race perish ? 

There must be some cause for such a 
sad catastrophe. That cause must exist either 
in God or in man. Not in God surely. What 
more could he do, consistently with his cha¬ 
racter and government, to prevent the sin¬ 
ner’s perdition ? With a solemn oath he has 
declared that he has no pleasure in the death 
of the wicked, but that they turn from their 
evil ways and live: “ O Israel, thou hast de¬ 
stroyed thyself; but in me is thy help.” If 
men fail to secure salvation when it is brought 
within their reach, the fault must be their 
150 


SALVATION FEEE. 


151 


own. There is no hindrance in their way 
save that which is to be found in themselves 
—no decree of heaven, no deficiency in the 
provisions of Divine mercy, nothing but their 
own perverseness. To set this important 
point in a clear light we remark— 

As a Saviour, Jesus has provided salvation 
for all. In this sense he may be said to be 
“ the Saviour of all men, especially of those 
that believe.” “ Behold,” said the angel in 
announcing the birth of the Saviour, “ I bring 
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be 
to all people.” The Scriptures speak of the 
atonement in terms so general as to include 
the whole human race without a single excep¬ 
tion. They mention no class of persons who 
are excluded from its benefits unless by their 
voluntary unbelief—none for whom no Sa¬ 
viour has died, and for whose salvation no 
provision has been made. It is only after 
men obstinately reject the oiler of the Gospel 
that there remaineth for them u no more sac¬ 
rifice for sins,” or that the great atonement 


152 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


can be to them of no avail. By the grace of 
God, Christ has “ tasted death for every man.” 
He is “ the propitiation for the sins of the 
whole world.” “ He gave himself a ransom 
for all.” Heb. ii. 9 ; 1 John ii. 2; 1 Tim. ii. 6. 

The remedy provided by the Gospel is just 
as extensive as the prevalence of sin—the love 
of the Redeemer as broad as the wants of 
man. Are all lost? “The Son of man is 
come to seek and to save that which was 
lost.” Are all dead ? “ He died for all, that 

they which live should not henceforth live 
unto themselves, but unto Him which died 
for them and rose again.” Have all gone 
astray? “The Lord hath laid on him the 
iniquity of us all.” Are all ungodly ? “ In 

due time, when we were without strength, 
Christ died for the ungodly.” Are all un¬ 
just? “ He suffered for sins, the just for the 
unjust, that he might bring us to God.” 

Could such language be used in reference 
to devils ? Why not ? Evidently because 
their doom is sealed, and for them no Saviour 


SALVATION FREE. 


153 


has died. In this respect fallen men are 
wholly distinguished from fallen angels. The 
one are “ prisoners of hope;” the other pris¬ 
oners of despair. The one are delivered into 
chains of darkness; the other are under a 
dispensation of mercy. 

As a Saviour, Jesus is sufficient for all. 
His power is unlimited, and the merit of his 
atonement equally so. Were but one sinner 
saved, for aught we know, the same atone¬ 
ment would be necessary that has been made; 
and were millions more saved than will 
eventually be saved, no atonement of higher 
value would be requisite. The satisfaction 
which Christ made when he offered himself 
“ once for all” has removed all the obstacles 
to the free exercise and extension of Divine 
mercy to man. It answers all the ends of 
the actual infliction of the legal penalty upon 
the transgressor. It is a public declaration 
of the evil of sin, of the righteousness of God, 
and of his readiness to save. His divinity 
gave to the sufferings of his humanity in- 


154 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


finite value. No sinner, therefore, will perish 
on account of any deficiency in the atonement, 
but solely on account of his rejection of offered 
mercy. 

As a Saviour, Jesus is offered to all. The 
feast of love is prepared and the general invi¬ 
tation is given: “ Come, for all things are now 
ready.” “ As many as ye shall find, bid to 
the marriage.” “ Whosoever will, let him 
take the water of life freely.” 

This general offer of salvation is founded 
on the general provision. All are invited 
because there is abundance for all. They are 
called upon to participate in that which 
actually exists, and to which they are cordi¬ 
ally welcome. There is not a son or daughter 
of Adam to whom this, tender is not made in 
all sincerity and honesty—made not that it 
may be rejected, but accepted. It is made 
not by man, but by God himself, who has 
declared that he “ will have all men to be 
saved”—that he is “not willing that any 


SALVATION FREE. 


155 


should perish, but that all should come to 
repentance.” 

It is true that multitudes perishing in sin 
have not yet heard the glad tidings of salva¬ 
tion. Let not this, however, be attributed to 
any deficiency in the provisions of the Gospel, 
but to human neglect. God has thrown upon 
the Church the solemn obligation to preach the 
Gospel to every creature, and long ere this the 
great commission should have been fulfilled, 
and not a single human being have been left 
■without the knowledge of salvation through 
the blood of the cross. The value of the Re¬ 
deemer’s sacrifice is not to be determined by 
the extent to which it has been made known 
to the world. Were a thousand missionaries 
at once to be despatched to China, there to 
publish the news of redemption, it would be 
no more true that a Saviour’s blood was shed 
for those benighted millions than it would 
be were they left to perish in ignorance and 
sin; had those missionaries gone thither 
a century sooner and proclaimed the same 


156 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


glorious news, it would be no more true that 
salvation was provided for that vast empire 
than it is now. 

Not only is salvation to be tendered to all, 
but all are sacredly bound to accept the tender. 
No one is at liberty to neglect it for a mo¬ 
ment. Faith in Christ is as much a duty as 
it is a privilege. “ This is the command¬ 
ment of God that ye believe on his Son.” 
“This is the will of Him that sent me, that 
every one that seeth the Son and believeth 
on him may have everlasting life.” Every 
man to whom the Gospel is sent has a full 
warrant to accept its overtures—to believe 
that there is salvation in Christ and salva¬ 
tion for him. His faith does not render it 
any more certain that salvation is provided 
him; it only secures it as his. No man has 
any reason to question either the ability or 
the readiness of Christ to save. No man has 
a right to neglect the great salvation, and to 
close against himself the door of heaven. 
God has made it the duty of all men to be 


SALVATION FREE. 


157 


saved, and if they fail of salvation, it is be¬ 
cause they reject the counsel of mercy against 
themselves. 

The only hindrance to man’s salvation is 
represented to he in himself —his voluntary 
and persevering rejection of salvation. “ Be¬ 
hold,” says God, “ I have prepared my din¬ 
ner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, 
and all things are ready: come unto the mar¬ 
riage.” What then hindered those who were 
invited from repairing to the feast ? “ They 

made light of it, and went their ways—one to 
his farm, another to his merchandise.” “ Ye 
will not,” says Jesus, “come unto me, that 
ye might have life.” 

It is this refusal of the proffered salvation 
that is represented as the great cause of the 
sinner’s perdition , and of that more aggravated 
condemnation which awaits him in the future 
world. “ This is the condemnation, that light 
is come into the world, and men loved dark¬ 
ness rather than light, because their deeds were 
evil.” From the curse of the law there is re- 


14 


158 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


demption through Christ; but the rejection of 
the Gospel seals for ever their doom. Those 
guilty of this sin die under a double condem¬ 
nation, and plunge themselves into misery 
deep and irrecoverable. No denunciations are 
so dreadful as those that are uttered against 
the despisers of Gospel grace. “ What shall 
the end be of them that obey not the Gospel 
of God ?” “ How shall we escape if we neglect 
so great salvation ?” “ He that believeth not 
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of 
God abideth on him.” 

It may yet be remarked that men univer¬ 
sally, whether they accept salvation or reject it, 
receive innumerable favors through the medium 
of a Saviour’s cross. It is to that cross we 
are indebted for every blessing, temporal as 
well as spiritual. 

Our very existence under such circum¬ 
stances of comfort is owing to the death of 
Christ. Had not a Saviour been provided 
for man, the probability is that the human race 
would have terminated with the first pair. 


SALVATION FREE, 


159 


No sooner had they sinned than the penalty 
of the law was incurred, and there is reason 
to believe that that penalty would at once 
have been executed to its full extent in their 
eternal perdition, had it not been the merci¬ 
ful design of heaven to interpose for their re¬ 
covery. 

It is in consequence of the mediation of 
Christ that man is favored with another pro¬ 
bation, and the sentence of eternal death is 
suspended. God is evidently dealing with 
our race not in judgment but in mercy. The 
evil as well as the good are alike loaded with 
daily favors. The same general order of 
Divine Providence extends to all. There is 
not a single human being who is not bene¬ 
fited by the sacrifice of the cross. Our food, 
our friends, our health and the innumerable 
enjoyments of life, all flow to us through that 
meritorious sacrifice. It is the cross that 
gilds the landscape with beauty, gives fra¬ 
grance to the flower, nerves our frames with 
vigor, and supplies us with ten thousand 


160 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


mercies ever new and ever varying. “ I 
trace,” says a lady, “ the vivid appreciation 
I have of temporal blessings, and my power 
to thank God for a grateful heart that tastes 
those gifts with joy, to a blessing which the 
Rev. John Summerfield asked at our tea- 
table in my youthful days. He said, ‘ May 
we receive the food before us with gratitude, 
remembering that all these common blessings 
are most uncommon mercies, and that tem¬ 
poral, equally with spiritual, gifts are the 
dear-bought purchase of the blood of 
Christ/” 

And if men universally receive temporal 
favors as the purchase of a Saviour’s blood, 
then there can be no obstacle to the bestow- 
ment of spiritual favors, provided they seek 
them through the proper medium. There is 
no one who is not already benefited by the 
death of Christ, and if that death fails to be¬ 
come effectual to salvation, it is because men 
will not come to Christ that they may have 
life. 


SALVATION FREE. 


161 


Is it asked, “ To what purpose is this 
waste ?” The same question might be asked 
in regard to the rich productions of nature, 
the exuberant bounties of Divine Providence, 
and our abundant means of instruction and 
grace. Here there is not only enough, but 
more than enough. “ We have more air than 
V’e breathe, more earth than we till, more 
ocean than we navigate, more sky than we 
survey, and more fishes and fowls and other 
food than we consume. There are more 
jewels than we wear, more gold than we dig, 
more flowers than we gather, more music than 
we hear, and more joys of various kinds than 
we know. Everywhere there is more than a 
sufficiency, although in various instances there 
is not an equal distribution.” So, too, in re¬ 
gard to our religious interests. “ Have we 
not more offers, and invitations, and oppor¬ 
tunities, and pressing calls of salvation than 
we accept ?—more Bible than we read as we 
should, more churches than we fill, more 
preaching than we hear, more Sabbaths than 
14 * 


162 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


we improve, more commandments than we 
obey, and more influences of the Holy Ghost 
than become effectual? Among all this rich 
display of God’s amplitude and magnificence 
and infinitude of provisions, shall the atone¬ 
ment of Christ stand alone, in narrow, con¬ 
tracted, limited dimensions?” 

“ The long-suffering of our Lord is salva¬ 
tion”—that is, it is intended for man’s salva¬ 
tion ; and yet how many by its abuse, only treas¬ 
ure up unto themselves accumulated wrath! 

The Spirit strives with men, not merely to 
convince them of sin, but to seal them unto 
the day of redemption; and yet how many 
quench his influence and plunge themselves 
into deeper ruin ! 

Oh no! the provisions of Divine mercy 
will not be in vain, even though men refuse 
to accept them. The kindness of God is not 
diminished by human ingratitude. Other 
purposes will be accomplished by the death 
of Christ than man’s salvation. By this 
wonderful expedient the government of God 


SALVATION FREE. 


163 


is placed in the view of the intelligent uni¬ 
verse on a firmer basis and his character re¬ 
vealed in a clearer light. This stupendous 
transaction will not only have an important 
influence upon our world, but upon other and 
distant portions of Jehovah’s empire, and all 
holy beings will gaze upon the wondrous ex¬ 
hibition of Divine wisdom, benevolence and 
justice with adoring gratitude and awe. 
God “ created all things by Jesus Christ, 
to the intent , that now unto the principalities 
and powers in heavenly places might be 
known, by the Church, the manifold wisdom 
of God, according to the eternal purpose 
which he purposed in Christ Jesus our 
Lord.” 

To you, dear reader, is the tender of salva¬ 
tion made. Let not the tender be rendered 
“of no effect” by your unbelief. Your sal¬ 
vation is now possible, but it can be rendered 
certain only by its cordial acceptance. Can 
food nourish unless it be eaten ? Can medi¬ 
cine cure unless it be taken ? Of what avail 


164 THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 

will be to you the rich provision of the Gos¬ 
pel unless you partake of it ? Of what avail 
“ the balm of Gilead” unless it be received ? 
God has done so much for your salvation 
that your eternal destiny is suspended upon 
your own decision. Life and death, the 
blessing and the curse, are set before you, and 
the choice you now make will determine 
your state for happiness or misery for ever. 

Remain not away from Christ under the 
apprehension that there is no salvation for 
you. If he died for sinners, then he died for 
you. You need not stop to inquire whether 
your name is written in the volume of Di¬ 
vine decrees. Your great concern should be 
to “ make your calling and election sure.” 
God has formed no purpose to prevent you 
from repenting; and, repenting, from becom¬ 
ing the heir of salvation. There is no hin¬ 
drance to your salvation but what exists in 
yourself—no hindrance but what is entirely 
voluntary and criminal. Eternal life is now 
within your reach—lay hold of it with the 


SALVATION FREE. 


165 


grasp of death. Lose not the blessing by ne¬ 
glect or by delay. Forfeit not your birth¬ 
right for the trifles of earth. Millions of sin¬ 
ners vile as you have already found redemp¬ 
tion through the blood of the Lamb; and that 
blood remains as efficacious as ever. Oh 
that you would now prove its power, and 
furnish one more witness of a Saviour’s grace 
and faithfulness. 



CHAPTER XII. 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 

“ There hangs all human hop6; that nail supports 
The falling universe. That gone, we drop ! 

Horror receives us, and the dismal wish 
Creation had been smothered in her birth.” 

Sp HE religion of the Gospel is, in one re- 
spect, an exclusive religion. It claims 
to be the only true religion. It admits of no 
rival, no partnership, no compromise. As it 
reveals to us but one God, so it also reveals 
to us but one Saviour. It points us to Christ 
as a sure refuge, and it declares all other 
refuges to be “ refuges of lies/’ 

On this point the Scriptures are explicit: 
“ Other foundation can no man lay than that 
is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” “ I am,” 
says Jesus, “ the way, the truth and the life; 
no man cometh to the Father but by me.” 
166 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 167 

u Neither is there salvation in any other; for 
there is none other name under heaven given 
among men whereby we must be saved.” 

Here, then, we have God’s testimony on 
this subject; and we know that “ his word 
abideth for ever.” He has declared that he 
will save men in a certain way, and in no 
other. It is not for us to inquire whether he 
could not save us in some other way: it is 
enough for us to know that he can save us 
at all. The question with us should be not 
what God can do, but what he will do, what 
he has engaged to do. If he can save us on 
any terms honorable to himself, let us thank¬ 
fully accept the offer and render to him the 
deserved praise. 

The Gospel reveals the only scheme by 
which the conflicting claims of justice and 
mercy, of law and grace, can be reconciled in 
human redemption. God must ever act in 
character. He cannot exercise one perfection 
at the sacrifice of another. If his mercy 
would dispose him to pardon sin, his justice 


168 


THE SAVIOUR WE HEED. 


demands that it be punished. If his mercy 
would lead him to remit the penalty of the 
law, his justice demands that the authority 
of the law be fully maintained and honored. 
Nowhere but in Christ is this difficulty in 
the way of man’s salvation met and re¬ 
moved. Here we have revealed “ a just God,” 
and yet a “ Saviour”—here “ mercy and truth 
are met together; righteousness and peace 
have kissed each other.” 

“ Here the whole Deity is known; 

Nor dares a creature guess 
Which of the glories brightest shone— 

The justice or the grace.” 

The righteousness—the meritorious obe¬ 
dience and sacrifice of Jesus—constitutes the 
only ground of man’s justification. The sin¬ 
ner must be justified for his own sake, or for 
the sake of Christ; for his own righteous¬ 
ness, or for the righteousness of Christ. Not, 
certainly, for his own righteousness, for that 
is wholly defective ; and were it ever so per¬ 
fect in the future, it would be no more than 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 169 

the discharge of a present obligation, and 
could render no satisfaction for past trans¬ 
gression. When a sinner is justified, he is 
pronounced just , and treated, guilty as he is, 
as though he were just; but this can be done 
only on account of the perfect righteousness 
of his substitute, “ the Lord our righteous¬ 
ness”—“ the end of the law for righteousness 
to every one that believeth.” Hence the 
great desire of Paul was to be found in Christ, 
not having his own righteousness, which is of 
the law, but that which is through the faith 
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God 
by faith. Phil. iii. 9. 

The fact that Christ has assumed the work 
of our salvation is proof that there is salva¬ 
tion in him alone. Never would he have un¬ 
dertaken the work could it have been accom¬ 
plished by any other means. It was man’s 
helpless misery alone that brought him from 
the skies, and led him to become a sacrifice 
for a doomed world. “ When we were with¬ 
out strength, in due time Christ died for the 
15 


170 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


ungodly.” He looked, and there was none 
to help; and he wondered that there was 
none to uphold; therefore, his own arm 
brought salvation. Isa. lxiii. 5. 

Patiently as he resigned himself to his un¬ 
told agonies, he would never have submitted 
to them had they not been indispensable. 
How affecting that prayer: “O my Father, 
if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; 
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” 
That bitter cup he must drink to its very 
dregs, or man must drink the cup of divine 
indignation for ever. 

The gift of a Saviour is represented as the 
most amazing display of Divine benevolence. 
“ God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting 
life.” But what love would there have been 
in the bestowment of such a gift if man needed 
no Saviour, or could by any means have saved 
himself? And where, too, would have been 
the wisdom of making such a costly sacrifice 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 171 

for our salvation ? The whole scheme of re¬ 
demption would have been one of consummate 
folly, the tragic scene of the cross a mere 
farce, unworthy of God and without the 
least significance or benefit. 

There is not a single blessing connected 
with our salvation but is ascribed to a Sa¬ 
viour’s merits. Are we pardoned? “ God 
for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Eph. 
iv. 32. Are we justified? It is “through 
the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” 
Rom. iii. 24. Have we peace with God ? 
It is “ through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 
Rom. v. 1. Are we adopted unto the family 
of God ? “ Ye are all the children of God 

by faith in Christ Jesus.” Gal. iii. 26. Are 
we accepted ? It “ is in the Beloved.” Eph. 
i. 6. Are we redeemed from the curse ? 
“ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of 
the law, being made a curse for us.” Gal. iii. 
13. Are we cleansed from sin ? “ The 

blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all 
sin.” 1 John i. 7. Do we have access to 


172 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


God ? “ Through Him we both have access 

by one spirit unto the Father.” Eph. ii. 18. 
Do we triumph over death ? “ Thanks be to 

God who giveth us the victory through our 
Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor. xv. 57. Do we 
inherit eternal life? “The gift of God is 
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 
Rom. vi. 23. Quotations of the same kind 
might be multiplied, but enough have been 
furnished to show that the only channel 
through which God confers his favors upon 
man is the mediation of his Son. Every 
blessing we receive is the purchase of the 
Redeemer’s blood, and is bestowed only for 
his sake. 

Not a soul has ever been saved but through 
the merits of Christ. Commencing with 
Abel, the first redeemed sinner who entered 
heaven, and proceeding onward through suc¬ 
cessive generations down to the end of time, 
we shall find the salvation of all ascribed to 
the same atoning blood. When John, the 
beloved disciple, had a vision of heaven, he 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 173 


saw none there but those who had “ washed 
their robes and made them white in the blood 
of the Lamb.” All, therefore, join in the 
same triumphant song of praise to Him that 
loved them, and cast their crowns at his feet 
in humble and grateful acknowledgment to 
him for his unmerited mercy. And when 
the Son shall eventually “ deliver up the 
kingdom” to the Father—when he shall cease 
to act as Mediator in behalf of a guilty world 
—then will the last soul have been saved, 
and there will remain “ no more sacrifice for 
sins.” 

In all ages of the world the way of salva¬ 
tion has been the same. The same Gospel, 
as to its substance, that is preached to us, 
was preached to the patriarchs, to the pro¬ 
phets and to all who lived under former dis¬ 
pensations. Those who were saved before 
the advent of Christ were saved in the same 
way that men are saved now. The first 
promise given to fallen man related to a 
Saviour, by whose power the serpent’s head 


174 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


was to be bruised ; and the various sacrificial 
offerings under the Jewish economy all 
pointed to the one efficacious offering upon 
the cross. The enlightened and pious Jew, 
instead of trusting to his own goodness, 
placed his sole reliance upon the blood of 
atonement, looking from the shadow to the 
substance, the type to the antitype—“ the 
Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of 
the world.” 

As there is but one way of salvation for all 
periods of time, so there is but one for all 
classes of men—for the Jew and the Gentile, 
for the rich and the poor, for the high and 
the low, for the learned and the unlearned, 
for the moral and the immoral. The most up¬ 
right man must be cleansed in the same foun¬ 
tain in which the dying thief was cleansed. 
As there is no difference between sinful men 
in the essential elements of their depravity, 
so is there none in the ground of their justi¬ 
fication. 

No other scheme but that revealed to us in 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 175 

Christ has been found adapted to man’s wants 
and effective in man’s salvation. Human na¬ 
ture has tried its utmost to recover itself, but 
every effort has only afforded additional evi¬ 
dence of its utter helplessness. The more 
men have struggled to break the yoke of sin, 
the more galling has that yoke proved. The 
more they have tried to wash out the stain of 
corruption, the more dismal has that stain 
appeared. Bunyan, in his Pilgrim’s Pro¬ 
gress, shows us a man trying to wash an 
Ethiopian white, but the more he tried the 
blacker the man became. “ Can the Ethio¬ 
pian change his skin, or the leopard his 
spots ? then may ye who are accustomed to 
do evil, learn to do well.” 

What religion save the religion of Christ 
has been known to effect a radical change in 
the character of man ? Go to the heathen 
world, and how vain the numerous devices 
resorted to there to overcome the desperate 
dominion of sin! Look at the various forms 
of self-righteousness on which so many nomi- 


176 THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 

nal Christians depend for salvation—their 
confessions, and penances, and baptismal re¬ 
generation, and multiplied rites and festivals. 
How fruitless all to kindle in the heart true 
devotion, to restore man to moral purity! 
“ I know,” said the devoted Whitefield, “ by 
sad experience what it is to be lulled asleep 
with a false peace. Long was I lulled asleep. 
Long did I think myself a Christian when I 
knew nothing of the Lord Jesus Christ. I 
used to fast twice a week. I used to pray 
sometimes nine times a day. I used to re¬ 
ceive the sacrament constantly every Lord’s 
day. And yet I knew nothing of Jesus 
Christ in my heart. I knew not that I must 
be a new creature. I knew nothing of in¬ 
ward religion in my soul.” 

There is no salvation from sin but through 
the blood and grace of Christ. “ If the Son 
make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” 

And what but a believing view of the 
cross can bring relief to the burdened con¬ 
science? In vain does the convinced and 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS. 177 

trembling sinner direct his steps to Sinai and 
gaze upon its fiery summit. “By the law is 
the knowledge of sin,” but by the Gospel 
alone is remission of sin. Not until Bun- 
yan’s Pilgrim came to the cross, did his 
burden drop to the ground. “ So I saw in 
my dream, that just as Christian came up 
with the cross, his burden loosed from off his 
shoulders, and fell from off his back, and 
began to tumble, and so continued to do, till 
it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where 
it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was 
Christian glad and lightsome, and said with 
a merry heart, ‘ He hath given me rest by 
his sorrow, and life by his death.’ Then he 
stood still a while to look and wonder; for 
it was very surprising to him that the sight 
of the cross should thus ease him of his 
burden. He looked therefore, and looked 
again, even till the springs that were in his 
head sent the waters down his cheeks.” 

To whom, dying sinner, will you look for 
salvation but to Jesus? To yourself? Can 


178 THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 

you atone for your innumerable transgres¬ 
sions? Can you subdue the desperate cor¬ 
ruption of the heart ? Can you work out a 
righteousness that will meet the full demands 
of the law ? Can you claim the crown of 
heaven on the ground of your personal merit? 
Long, perhaps, have you been making the 
experiment to save yourself; but how utterly 
abortive! Save yourself! As well might 
you attempt to create a world. You are en¬ 
deavoring to do the very work which Christ 
came to perform, and impiously robbing him 
of his mediatorial honor. 

Can any creature save you f Who will as¬ 
sume the mighty task ? Who is possessed of 
sufficient power and merit? Who among 
the sons of men ? Who among the adoring 
seraphs in glory ? 

Will you look to the Church for salvation? 
The Church! What is the Church but a 
company of redeemed sinners ? Can one 
sinner save another sinner? The Church 
itself must look to Christ for salvation; 


SALVATION ALONE IN JESUS, 179 


how then can you look for salvation to the 
Church? 

Is your trust in sacraments f Can water 
wash away the guilty stain of sin? Can 
bread and wine make an atonement for sin ? 
Will you substitute emblems for realities, 
the shadow for the substance, the sign for the 
thing signified ? 

“ None but Christ! none but Christ!” ex¬ 
claimed the martyr. How expressive of the 
feelings of every true believer. “ God for¬ 
bid that I should glory save in the cross of 
our Lord Jesus Christ.” 

“ Since the dear hour that brought me to thy foot, 
And cut up all my follies by the root, 

I never trusted in an arm but thine, 

Nor hoped but in thy righteousness divine; 

My prayers and alms, imperfect and defiled, 

Were but the feeble efforts of a child. 

Cleansed in thine own all-purifying blood, 

Forgive their evil and accept their good: 

I cast them at thy feet; my only plea 

Is what it was—dependence upon thee.”— Cowper. 

The cross , the cross is man’s only hope! 


» 


180 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


Not the cross embroidered, painted, sculptured, 
or in any other form; not the cross as it adorns 
the person or the cathedral; but the despised 
cross of Calvary—the great fact of a Re¬ 
deemer’s sacrifice for a guilty and ruined 
world. Not a ray of light beams upon the 
benighted mind of man but from that cross ; 
not a whisper of mercy is heard but from that 
cross. Fly for refuge elsewhere and you 
perish. Sheltered here, you are secure for 
eternity. Jesus only —Jesus as our “wisdom, 
and righteousness, and sanctification, and re¬ 
demption ;” Jesus as our prophet, priest and 
king; Jesus as the object of our supreme 
affection and the sole ground of our hope; 
Jesus as our support in life, our comfort in 
death and our glory in heaven for ever. Not 
Jesus and Mary, not Jesus and the saints, 
not Jesus and my own good works; but 
Jesus only: not a Saviour in part, but a 
whole Saviour—the only Saviour. 

Nothing in my hands I bring— 

Simply to thy cross I cling.’' 


CHAPTER XIII. 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 

close this volume with a few reflec- 
tions suggested by the subject under 
consideration. 


CHRIST ALL IN ALL. 

How evident it is that in the religion of 
the Gospel Christ is all in all! Christianity 
has a special relation to Christ, not merely as 
its founder, but as its substance, its support, 
its life. It proclaims him not merely as an 
eminent teacher, but as our Saviour, our Me¬ 
diator, our Advocate, our sole dependence 
and trust. In the language of Rowland 
Hill, “ Christ crucified may be said to be 
the Alpha and Omega of all the Bible. Not 
a promise is given but it refers to him; not 
16 181 


182 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


a threatening is pronounced but he is repre¬ 
sented as a covert from the storm and a 
refuge for the guilty; not a prophecy is re¬ 
vealed, but the testimony of Jesus is the 
spirit of prophecy; not one mystic institution 
was ever ordained, not one bleeding bullock 
nor slaughtered lamb ever stained a Jewish 
altar, but was meant to represent a crucified 
Redeemer, as the Lamb of God slain from the 
foundation of the world.” 

What Christ is to his redeemed people on 
earth will he be to them in heaven. The 
chief attraction of that happy world will be 
the once suffering but now exalted Redeemer. 
“The Lamb is the light thereof.” “Its 
thrones bow to the cross; its lamps burn 
around the cross; its laurels garland the 
cross; its harps celebrate and its incense 
enshrines the cross.” Expunge from the 
Gospel the doctrine of salvation by the cross, 
and you deprive it of all its peculiarity and 
all its glory. You have now left, not Chris¬ 
tianity, but a mere form of Deism. Any 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


183 


system of religion that does not recognize 
Christ as the sole meritorious ground of 
man’s salvation must be radically defective, 
and must come under what the apostle de¬ 
nominates “ another gospel.” Such is the 
system that ignores his divinity and atone¬ 
ment, and regards him merely as a teacher 
and a martyr. Such is Romanism, that ren¬ 
ders the glory of man’s salvation partly to 
himself and partly to Christ. Here the 
atonement is regarded as so defective that 
the “One offering” by which sin was expi¬ 
ated must be continually renewed in the 
sacrifice of the Mass; the righteousness of 
Christ as so imperfect that to constitute a 
sufficient ground for justification it must be 
united to the righteousness of the sinner; the 
intercession of Christ as so feeble that to be¬ 
come effectual it must be accompanied by the 
pleadings of his mother; the blood of Christ 
as so powerless that to complete its design 
it needs the fires of purgatory. 

Truly this is a religion without piety; a 



184 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


cross without a Saviour; a sacrifice without 
an atonement. 

And not much better are certain forms of 
Ritualism, now so prevalent in some of the 
Protestant churches, virtually substituting 
the church, the priest and the sacraments for 
Christ. Here, too, you have a divided Sa¬ 
viour, a dishonored Saviour. Christ saves in 
part; man makes up the deficiency. Salva¬ 
tion flows not directly from Christ, but from 
the Church. Men have spun this out into a 
theory or system, and baptized it with the 
name of Christianity; but it is, after all, 
rank Romanism, only under a new garb, and 
the more dangerous because the more masked 
and insidious. 

And what is the religion of the mere 
moralist but a Christless religion—a religion 
that needs no Saviour? Why trust in the 
merits of another when he has merit enough 
of his own ? He does the best he can, and 
what more can be required ? 

Man has been called u a religious being.” 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


185 


A religion of some kind he will have. If it 
be not the religion of the Gospel, it will be 
one of his own device. Thousands have lived 
and died with the expectation of future hap¬ 
piness, whose hope has been cut off and 
whose trust has proved like the spider’s web. 
A false religion is worse than none. Pre¬ 
sumption has ruined far more than despond¬ 
ency. All false religions agree in this— 
they ascribe that glory to the sinner which 
belongs to the Saviour. True religion lays 
man in the dust. It strips him of all self- 
dependence, and casts him helpless and 
ruined into the arms of sovereign mercy. 

god’s great work. 

What a stupendous work is the work of hu¬ 
man redemption ! Whether we consider the 
love in which it originated; the sacrifice by 
which it is accomplished; the incarnation of 
the Godhead in the person of Christ; his 
life of self-denial and his death of agony; his 
triumphant resurrection, ascension and exal- 





186 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


tation; his continual intercession ; the opera¬ 
tions of his grace on the human heart; the 
ultimate prevalence of truth and righteous¬ 
ness ; the misery from which man is rescued, 
and the glory to which he is exalted,—every¬ 
thing strikes us with amazement and awe. 
No wonder that angels desire to “ look into 
these things.” 

“The first archangel never saw 
So much of God before.” 

Redemption is God’s great work. It is 
the new creation, in comparison with which 
“the former shall not be remembered nor 
come into mind.” It reveals the character 
of God in a new aspect, and will call forth 
higher notes of praise than were heard when, 
at the birth of nature, “the morning stars 
sang together, and all the sons of God 
shouted for joy.” 

The salvation of a single soul is an event 
of such moment as to awaken new rapture 
in adoring seraphs: what then must be the 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


187 


salvation of that “ great multitude which no 
man can number,” who will eventually be 
presented to Christ as the fruit of his toils 
and sorrows ! Oh why is not earth thrilled 
with emotion in view of such an achievement? 
How sad to think that the very beings for 
whom the Saviour died, and who are most 
deeply interested in his redemption, should 
treat it with such marked indifference ! 

THE NEWS TO BE PUBLISHED. 

How earnest should he our endeavors to 
spread the news of salvation throughout the 
world ! It would seem scarcely possible that 
those who are in possession of “the glad 
tidings” could refrain from publishing them 
wherever man can be found perishing in sin. 
More than eighteen hundred years have 
elapsed since the Son of God cried out on 
the cross, “ It is finished !” An ample atone¬ 
ment was then made, and all things were 
ready for the salvation of a world in death. 
Previous to his ascension to his mediatorial 


188 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


throne, the commission is given—not to the 
apostles only, but to the whole Church—to 
preach the Gospel to every creature. But, 
alas! how imperfectly has that commission 
been fulfilled! What millions still remain 
enveloped in all the darkness of sin, without 
God, without Christ and without hope! 
How little has the redeemed Church of God 
realized her responsibility and her vocation! 
Surely it is high time to awake from her 
long slumber and address herself to her ap¬ 
propriate work with true earnestness. Why 
may not the world be evangelized before the 
close of the present century ? Have we not 
abundant means and facilities for the accom¬ 
plishment of the object? Is not God open¬ 
ing the door of access to all nations ? and is 
he not ready to crown with success our 
prayers and efforts? Let all who have 
found Jesus precious themselves, make him 
known to others. 

“ A New Zealand girl was brought over to 
England to be educated. She became a true 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 189 

Christian. When she was about to return 
some of her playmates endeavored to dissuade 
her. They said, ‘Why go back to New 
Zealand ? You are accustomed to England 
now. You love its shady lanes and clover- 
fields. It suits your health. Besides, you 
may be shipwrecked on the ocean. You may 
be killed and eaten by your own people— 
everybody will have forgotten you/ ‘What?* 
she said, ‘ do you think that I could keep 
the good news to myself? Do you think 
that I could be content with having got 
pardon and peace and eternal life for my¬ 
self, and not go and tell my dear father and 
mother how they may get it too ? I would 
go if I had to swim there/ ” 

What an exemplification of the spirit of 
true Christianity! Let the whole Church of 
God be baptized with the same spirit, and 
how speedily would the sound of salvation 
go throughout the earth, and the kingdoms 
of the world become the kingdoms of the 
Son of God! 


190 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


tl I ask no heaven till earth be thine, 

Nor glory-crown while work of mine 
Remainetk here : when earth shall shine 
Among the stars, 

Her sins wiped out, her captives free, 

Her voice a music unto thee : 

For crown, new work give thou to me! 

Lord, here am I!” 

THE DEBT OF GRATITUDE. 

How great is the debt of gratitude we all owe 
to the adorable Saviour! What being has 
done for us, or could do for us, what he has 
done ? He descended to earth that we might 
be raised to heaven. He became poor that 
we might become rich. He took upon him 
“ the form of a servant” that we might be 
set into “ the glorious liberty of the sons of 
God.” He drank the bitter cup of sorrow 
that we might drink the cup of joy. He 
was crowned with thorns that we might 
be crowned with glory. He wept that we 
might smile; he died that we might live for 


ever. 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


191 


And why did he submit to such abasement, 
such toil and sorrow? Was it because we 
had any claim on his regard ? Was it to add 
to his essential glory? Was it to prop up a 
tottering throne ? No, no ; it was love, pure, 
disinterested, boundless love, such as he alone 
could show, that led him to make the sacri¬ 
fice. In vain do we attempt to describe the 
dimensions of that love. Its height and 
depth, its length and breadth “ passeth 
knowledge.” 

Here, then, is the grand motive to engage 
our warmest affections and our noblest ener¬ 
gies in his service. “The love of Christ 
constraineth us.” Let this love but take 
full possession of our hearts, and we shall 
need no other impulse to call forth the most 
self-denying efforts to glorify his name. A 
thousand hearts devoted to him in the most 
ardent love, a thousand lips employed in 
his praise, a thousand lives spent in his ser¬ 
vice, would be regarded as but a poor return 
for “ love so amazing, so divine.” 


192 THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 

“ My Saviour ! how shall I proclaim, 

How pay the mighty debt I owe ? 

Let all I have, and all I am, 

Ceaseless to all thy glory flow. 

Too much to thee I cannot give, 

Too much I cannot do for thee; 

Let all thy love and all thy grief 
Graven on my heart for ever be.” 

Dear impenitent reader, has this Saviour 
no claim on you? As yet you have no 
saving interest in his atonement, and perhaps 
you profess no love to his person and cause, 
and for that reason may feel that you are 
under but little, if any, obligation to him for 
his kindness. And yet there is not a day of 
your life in which you are not indebted to 
him for blood-bought mercies. Long, long 
before you had an existence he had you in 
view. When suspended upon the cross his 
eye beamed with compassion toward you, 
and his arms are now wide open to fold you 
to his bosom. Oh how can you resist such 
love? He gave himself for you—is it too 
much now to give yourself to him? You 
are his by creation, his by purchase; now 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


193 


be his by your voluntary and cordial sur¬ 
render. 


ACCEPT THIS SALVATION. 

How thankfully should we all accept the 
offer of salvation through Christ! Who can 
refuse a gift procured for us at such an in¬ 
finite price and tendered to us so freely? 
Who can refuse to be saved—saved from sin 
and hell ? Who refuse to be at peace with 
God and at peace in his own breast? Who 
refuse the privileges of the sons of God—“a 
crown of glory that fadeth not away ?” 

Surely a salvation so “ worthy of all ac¬ 
ceptation,” need only to be made attainable, 
and every one must secure it without delay. 

“A convert from heathenism, on visiting 
this country and addressing a large assembly, 
assumed in his remarks that they were all 
Christians. He was informed of his mistake, 
and with tearful surprise assured his teacher, 
who accompanied him, that he supposed all 
the people in America loved the Saviour. 
ir 


194 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


He wondered how it was that they did not, 
since they had all of them so long ago heard 
of Jesus, and there were so many to teach 
them the Gospel. This, perhaps, was a rea¬ 
sonable expectation, but how wide from the 
actual reality!” 

Men may live in a Christian land, and yet 
live without Christ. Christ may be in their 
creed, and yet he may have no place in their 
hearts. We call Jesus “ Our Saviour” Is 
he indeed such ?—your Saviour? my Saviour ? 
Has he been formed within us the hope of 
glory ? Can we truly adopt the appropriat¬ 
ing language of Job?—“ I know that my Re¬ 
deemer liveth or of Paul: “ I know whom 
I have believed.” 

Perhaps the reader has hitherto been con¬ 
tent to stand without the temple of Chris¬ 
tianity. You have gazed upon its structure, 
and have even expressed your high admira¬ 
tion. Now we invite you to enter within 
and behold its hitherto hidden glories. Stay 
no longer in the court or on the threshold. 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


195 


Come into the Holy of Holies. You need 
not fear to approach, for under our highly- 
favored dispensation, we may all be “ kings 
and priests unto God.” Behold now the 
glorious Shekinah as it shines in the person 
of the God-man; behold the throne of grace 
sprinkled with the atoning blood of the Lamb; 
behold the cherubim as they spread their 
golden wings over the ark of the ‘covenant, 
desiring to look into the mysteries of redeem¬ 
ing mercy. 

Come in, thou skeptic—thou man of the 
world—thou formal professor—come in. 
The veil is rent, the door is open, and you 
may approach even with boldness. Oh, 
the glory! the glory! Do you not see it? 
Are you not enraptured by it? “ Oh, now, 
now,” I hear you exclaim, “ I know the 
blessed reality. My eyes have beheld it— 
my heart has felt it. Why did I not make 
the discovery sooner?” 


Dear reader, bear with my importunity. 


196 


THE SAVIOUR WE NEED. 


Will you be saved f A strange question, 
indeed, to ask; but one for which, alas ! there 
is too much occasion. Does the drowning 
man refuse the rope thrown out to rescue 
him? Does the starving man refuse the 
food offered to him by the hand of charity ? 
Does the condemned man refuse the pardon 
that will save him from an ignominious 
death ? or the sick man refuse the medicine 
that will restore him to health? And yet 
be astonished, O heaven, be amazed, O earth ! 
Man refuses to be saved! How heart¬ 
rending the thought that, notwithstanding all 
that a God of boundless mercy has done and 
is doing to save men, multitudes still rush 
upon their own ruin. Oh, that bitter, bitter 
lamentation, “ The harvest is past, the sum¬ 
mer is ended and we are not saved!” “ Not 

saved! We might have been saved, but we 
would not. Others are saved, but we have 
perished ! Not saved ! sinners for ever; suf¬ 
ferers for ever; the blackness of darkness for 
ever!” Well might the universe pour forth 


CLOSING THOUGHTS. 


197 


one loud, doleful, eternal wail over such a 
catastrophe. 

Yet there is hope. Again is the reader 
met with the offer of mercy—perhaps the last 
offer. I close this volume with the same 
gracious invitation with which God closes his 
own blessed book : “ The Spirit and the Bride 
say, Come. And let him that heareth say, 
Come. And let him that is athirst come. 
And whosoever will, let him take the water 
of life freely.” 

17 * 


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